Cursed Gifts: A Pandora's Box
by dragonsunlight
Summary: [Takes place after 'Of Broken Hearts And Jealousy] Forced to move in with his brother's family after a shocking incident, Kouichi ponders his future and its possibilities, only to get drafted into an organization where he battles for more than his life.
1. Lamentations

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. I guess that's a good thing.

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Cursed Gifts

Summary-Takes place after 'Of Broken Hearts And Jealousy Kouichi examines his life before and after the Digital World after a shocking incident. Forced to move in with his brother's family, he ponders his future and its possibilities. Eventually, even with the aid of old and new friends and enemies, he wonders if it was all worth it to his last breath.

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Chapter 1-

Lamentations

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A year.

A year after he had ensured that Kouji was happy was all it had taken for things to fall apart, for his life to go along the road that led to yet another mishap.

A year.

It had been a year since that day, two years since Kouji and Sumi had begun their relationship. Kouichi had kept it marked in his notebook, always alert for moments to take into account, always observing...

It had been a year ago that he had moved in with his father, stepmother, and Kouji.

A year ago...had been the death of his mother.

Of course, he didn't hate his stepmother or his father, he didn't blame them at all. Kouichi could only blame himself. _He_ could have stopped it from happening.

He, alone, had the power to stop it. And in the end, he failed her. He let down his mother. In the end, he couldn't be there for her, and she had suffered because of his stupidity.

Defiant, Kouichi refused to move from his room, even from the house. He didn't want to leave the memories behind. Pictures, not even memories from the heart would do for him. He needed the items that mattered, the places to fall into that nostalgic state, to _truly_ remember his mother. But with coaxing from his friends and family, he eventually caved in, moving into Kouji's old room in his father's house.

They sold the house and gave him the money, saying it was his anyway, that he could use it for college. Much of the furniture had been sold too, irking Kouichi to the point that he refused to budge from his new room for at least a week, not accepting food or water until Kouji shoved it down his throat.

He was being selfish, he knew. Kouji had more reason to be upset. After all, the younger twin only had spent three years with their mother, even less.

That had been last year. Now, Kouichi sat with his family at the dining table, picking at his food quietly.

"So, Kouji, Kouichi...how was school?" Mr. Minamoto asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Kouichi looked up with a blank face. Shrugging, he murmured a quiet, "Fine," before returning to his food.

Looking at his wife for an answer, the twins' father sighed. Kouji glanced at his twin, worried. Finally, he spoke up, "Kouichi, if you don't start eating, I'm going to have to force that food down your throat, you know."

Shrugging again, Kouichi stood up. "I'm...not hungry. I'm going to my room," he announced in a quiet voice, walking away without another word or hearing anyone's response. It didn't really matter to him, anymore.

Nothing really did.

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Kouichi picked up his backpack that lay beside the door, then dropped it unceremoniously by his desk. As he sat down in the chair, his gaze fell upon a picture that showed his mother and Kouji, both smiling...

He had two lights to light his way through the dark before.

Now...the one he had considered brightest was gone. The other one, no matter _how_ bright couldn't help him now. Not with his curse.

Sometimes, Kouichi pondered if it was a gift or a curse. If he had saved his mother, maybe he could have considered it a gift, even gone so far as to pray for it to constantly come. But no. His mother was dead. His soul was dead. His spirit was lost.

He was a mindless corpse. A robot.

_A robot_, Kouichi thought bitterly, slamming a fist on his desk, _with a curse._

It had started when he had been chasing after Kouji as his twin had gone to the train station. He had tripped and fallen into a coma. And, in order to be revived, Ophanimon had given him some strange power.

At first, it wasn't horrible at all. There were small memories of his past flooding back to him, one in which he had seen Kouji and his father before at the age of three, without even knowing.

But it grew into something much worse. Before he knew it, Kouichi was receiving insight of possibilities of the future, and was given the ability to change it, or leave it as it was. For example, he knew Kouji and Sumi would go out; he knew Sumi had looked familiar because he had seen her with Kouji in his dreams many times.

Dreams conveyed the future to Kouichi, and he rarely bothered changing it, figuring everything would work out in the end.

He had been so wrong...

It had been the night before his mother had died. Kouichi found it impossible to sleep as images of blood and screaming filled his head. Somehow, he found himself in a deep slumber.

And then saw his mother's face. There had been a small smile, one of regret. And then...

She died. She died right before his eyes, and he had been a second late, one second too late to stop the murder from happening.

The next morning, he had offered to walk with her to the grocery store. After she declined and left, it took five minutes of arguing with himself before he ran after her. And then, just as he turned the corner, he saw her, shot dead, the same smile on her face.

Slamming his fist on his desk once more, Kouichi lay his head down as he choked silently on tears. "Wh-...why...? Mom...I miss you," he whispered, a hand reaching out and grabbing the picture frame. "Why did you have to leave?"

Hearing a knock on his door, Kouichi sat up and wiped his eyes quickly. "Y-yeah?" he answered quickly to avoid suspicion.

"Hey, it's Kouji. Do you mind if I-"

"N-no...um, come in..."

Kouji opened the door, a smile on his face. Kouichi shut his eyes and looked away. "Hey...are you okay?" the younger twin asked, worried.

Nodding, Kouichi sighed and opened his eyes. "I just...I dunno...I can't get over it..."

A look of sorrow replaced the smile. "Kouichi..."

"What?" There was a bitter tone in the older boy's voice.

"Just...get over it, okay? She won't be coming back, and there's nothing we can do about it! Stop being a damn child!"

_He's starting it _again. Glaring up at his brother, Kouichi hissed, "I'll be a child if I want, so shut the hell up. I _know_ she won't come back, I _know_ there's nothing I can do! But you weren't there! If you plan on talking about things you don't know anything about, just...shut up! How would you feel if you knew you could have stopped it, but couldn't because you were a second late, huh? But you _don't _know how that feels! Get out of my room!"

The glares between the brothers's intensified, both their eyes flickering with anger and hate. Finally, Kouji turned around and closed his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I really feel sorry for you, Kouichi. You're so pathetic." _And this was my room before it was yours, creep_, Kouji thought in the back of his mind, but he managed to hold his tongue.

"At least I could confess my feelings for a girl!" snapped Kouichi. It was a well-practiced reflex (mentally, of course) that he felt had finally needed to be put into play.

Turning red, Kouji turned back around. "Sh-shut up! You haven't talked to _any_ girls!"

"Uh-huh...so?"

"S-so?" exclaimed the younger twin. "SO? So then..." There was a pause and Kouichi placed the frame back in its spot, shutting his eyes. "SO I DARE YOU TO DATE A GIRL!"

"I don't like any," returned the older twin hotly. "So tough. Besides, that wouldn't be polite."

_He knows how to be polite?_ "W-well...I dare you to talk to a girl!"

"I talk to Izumi and Sumi all the time. And I tell half the girls in class to shut up."

_So he doesn't know how to be polite_. _I should have guessed_. Knowing he was running out of ideas fast, Kouji blurted, "I dare you to talk to a girl you've never talked to before!"

"Uh..." Kouichi muttered, thinking of a girl he had never talked to before. "Fine..." _I'll just tell her to shut up, too._

"Great. Then you'll see how you're _doubly_ pathetic!"

"...whatever. Get out of my room."

Growling about stubborn, stupid, older twin brothers, Kouji stormed out of the room.

Sighing and staring around his room, Kouichi shivered at his solitude. If there was a way he could undo the past...

He would do anything to take that chance.

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"Kouichi! I DIDN'T DO MY ANNOTATIONS LAST NIGHT! HELP ME!" Takuya cried out, clinging onto Kouichi's sleeve.

Rolling his eyes, Kouichi muttered, "You don't have to have annotations on the scene. You just need to know that-first get off of my sleeve..."

Takuya grinned sheepishly and let go. "Sorry about that...so what do I have to know?"

"As I was saying, you only need to know that the message the Friar delivered never reached Romeo. But you should already know that, so there's no big deal. Okay? Okay. Now go bug Kouji if you need something," Kouichi snapped, heading to his locker.

Now in ninth grade, the twins, Izumi, Sumi and Takuya were _still_ in different classes. However, this time, Kouichi, Takuya and Izumi were in one class while Sumi and Kouji were in another.

Walking over to the younger twin, Takuya asked, "What's with him? He seems grumpier than usual, if that's possible."

"I dunno. He's been like that since...well...he went all sour yesterday," Kouji muttered. "And he's being a total baby." He didn't bother to include the possibility of it being his fault. The last thing _he_ needed today was Takuya on his back, laughing at him.

"Kouji!"

Kouji turned to face a girl with short black hair and brown eyes. "Hey, Hotaru, what's up?" he said in response to his name, casually leaning against the nearby lockers.

"Do you know where Sumi is? I _really_ need to talk to her about our project..." Hotaru laughed uneasily.

"Nope, sorry." Under his breath, he muttered, "Do you know what's up with my twin?"

"YOU HAVE A TWIN?" Hotaru suddenly exclaimed, taking several steps away, surprised.

Rolling his eyes, Kouji nodded. "Well, _duh_. And he-hey...why don't you go bug him for me?" A devious grin found its way onto Kouji's lips, and he didn't bother to hide it.

Raising an eyebrow, Hotaru declined the offer, "Uh...no thanks. What's his name though? You don't seem like the type to have _any_ siblings..." She muttered something else under her breath, but said nothing else aloud.

"Kouji, are you going straight home, or do you have some unknown activity after school I should know about?" Kouichi asked, walking up to his twin, his face stolid.

"Going straight home. This, Hotaru, is Kouichi. My twin. Kouichi," Kouji introduced the two, "Hotaru."

"...you two don't look so alike. THAT IS SO COOL!" Hotaru squealed, clapping delightedly.

Kouichi stared at Hotaru. Finally, he shook his head as he told her, "You know what? At first, I thought you were stupid. Now I know you're an idiot."

Both Kouji and Hotaru's jaw dropped as Kouichi walked away without another word. Finally recovering from her shock, Hotaru sniffed. "Heartless freak!"

Laughing nervously and knowing the damage Hotaru was capable of inflicting, Kouji quickly said, "He's just...um...like that before tests and everything. You know...uh...yeah!"

"Kouji! Kouichi's being a heartless freak!" Sumi yelled as she stormed towards her boyfriend. "I mean, honestly, just because your mom died...I mean, you knew her for a shorter period of time than he did! Shouldn't you be the one still being a freaking...god, I give up!"

Hotaru's face fell. "O-oh...your mom...died?" she asked Kouji quietly.

Wincing, Kouji nodded. He turned to the brown-haired girl and murmured, "Uh...Sumi? You two talk about the project. And next time, shut up."

Realizing what she had just said, Sumi covered her mouth and nodded. Uncovering her mouth, she tugged lightly on his arm and murmured, "I'm sorry...really...I didn't mean..."

He shrugged and offered a smile. "Don't worry about it. I need to talk to him about it," he muttered for the most part to himself.

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"You're _kidding_," Takuya growled, exasperated. "You dared him to talk to a girl he hadn't talked to before? In _this_ mood?"

Kouji rolled his eyes as they sat down in their usual lunch spot. Once again, Kouichi had discovered his own sanctuary (especially after had Sumi found his old one), making it his first priority to keep it secret. Especially after his mother had died.

"I didn't think he'd snap at her. In fact, I thought him telling all those girls to shut up was a joke! I mean, honestly, he seems like the polite type, right? Now I need to redo that dare...I'll dare him to say something nice to a girl he's recently insulted!" Kouji concluded, hitting his left palm with his right fist in triumph.

"Oh, wow, don't _you_ have a brilliant mind."

"Of course!"

Kouichi snorted as he loomed over them and muttered, "Not. I talked to a girl I didn't know. Tough. Now do you want to shut up about this? It's getting annoying."

Grumbling, Kouji and Takuya exchanged glances before making faces behind Kouichi's back as he walked off.

"One of these days, someone's going to slap him," Takuya commented.

Nodding, Kouji added, "One day soon. Very soon."

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"Damn...math...damn...damn it all!" Kouichi swore, throwing his pencil against the nearby wall. Once more, he had found refuge in a circle of rose bushes that looked clumped together (this time, however, behind the office building). It was as if some force wanted to keep him sane during school hours.

Unfortunately, it wasn't working all that well now.

Growling, he sifted through his homework, examining each page he had to do and muttering, "I hate this...the homework is stupid...the play is stupid, the problems are stupid...it's all stupid!"

"Gah...what the heck is this place?" he heard someone whine.

Eyes widening, Kouichi turned to the direction of the voice, quickly stuffing his homework back in his bag. "Wh-"

"Ow! Sumi! That hurt!" Hotaru yelled as she was pushed through a rose bush and landed on top of Kouichi. "Why did I end up on a bony-like..." Turning around, Hotaru let out a small yell as she spotted Kouichi. "Aaaah...I'm so sorry!" she apologized, mumbling something close to a rant to herself for the most part.

Kouichi winced as she crawled off of him and offered a hand to pull him up. Ignoring it, he pushed himself up and stared at her with an icy glare. "Why are you here?"

"Because SUMI had to push me in here. Now how the heck do I get out?" murmured Hotaru, looking around and deeming the rose bushes impossible to pass.

"Go through the bushes again."

"What? NO!"

"Yes, now get going!" Kouichi snapped, attempting to push her out.

Hotaru sat cross-legged in her spot, glaring at Kouichi as he pushed her arm fruitlessly. "Never!"

"How much do you weigh?" grumbled the boy.

"About...I dunno. Ninety? Eighty?"

"Then why are you so damn heavy?"

"AAAAAHHH!" Hotaru glared at Kouichi and stood up, a hurt expression on her face. "You're the _rudest_ boy I have _ever_ talked to! So what if your mom died? Get over it!"

There was a silence as Hotaru glared at the wide eyed Kouichi. "H-how did you...who told you?" Kouichi asked, fighting to keep his voice level and calm. His eyes were glued onto his shoes, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. "You have no right..."

"Who cares who told me? It doesn't matter! Just because you lost someone, it doesn't mean you can take your anger out on people close to you! You know, you're just a big spoiled brat!" Hotaru yelled angrily.

Standing up and blinking away tears, Kouichi whispered in a deadly voice, "And how would you feel if your mother died? And you were only a second away from stopping her murder? How would you feel then?" As Hotaru fell quiet again out of shock, Kouichi let out a short, bitter laugh, "That's right, you wouldn't. You wouldn't, nor would anyone else who tries to use the same arguments as you. I can counter it all, because I'm not as lucky as you all. No, I have to be a stupid, cursed, idiot _robot_. You don't know a single thing about me, you never will. Not even Kouji knows that much. So shut up, and leave me alone, dammit."

Hotaru watched wordlessly as Kouichi calmly picked up his fallen pencil, then his backpack, and made his way through the bushes, not bothering to say anymore.

_Some first impression_, she thought with a sigh. "Stupid. Boys...can be so stupid." _And I thought Romeo was bad._

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A/N-

So there you have it. It's a branch off of 'Of Broken Hearts and Jealousy,' but reading that story won't really make a difference (because I wrote it so long ago and I never edit, so that story's just ick). I'll fix the summary later.

I've read this over and over again to edit, and I've finally decided to post it because I feel bad that I _still_ haven't written Ch. 47 of NTB3 (I'm horrible like that). I think the headaches are going away (which means typing, yeah!) so I'll start on Ch. 47. In the meantime, enjoy. I'll probably put up a chapter for 'Cursed Gifts' every month...? I don't want to rush it. I treasure it even more than the NTB series (probably because I know where I'm going with it). It's changed so much…but I love it. (Hope you guys will, too!)

I hope you enjoyed the story. I will post the next chapter August 13 (hopefully, unless fanfiction hates me still or my parents go berserk).

Review or Flame.


	2. Contemplations

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon, simple as that.

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Contemplations

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"Brat," Hotaru muttered, slamming her locker shut as the bell signifying the end of the school day rang. "Brat, brat, brat, brat, BRAT!"

"Calm down...he's not that bad!" Sumi assured her friend. "He's just being...cranky, lately."

Hotaru shrugged and murmured, "He can be cranky, that's fine with me. But he has no right to be a _brat_."

"Hotaru..."

"What?" she snapped, adjusting her books in her arms. Finally, she let out a sigh and murmured, "Listen, I know it's painful to lose a mom, I mean...well, but if he's being a total loser, how does he expect his mom to be happy? Or...or his current family, even? Lots of people lose members of their family everyday. You don't see them being as sour as he is."

Sumi shook her head. "He's punishing himself and pushing everyone away. He doesn't want to hurt anyone more than he has to. Two years ago, well..." The girl sighed dreamily. "he _is_ the reason Kouji and I are together..."

"Kouji's weird."

"Hotaru..." Sumi murmured warningly, flushing slightly.

Puffing up her cheeks, the other girl exclaimed, "It's _true_! I mean, he doesn't cut his hair, and if he does, it's _always_ in that _ridiculous_ ponytail! And that bandana...it's _weird_ to wear a bandana, for goodness sakes!"

"Shush! I think it's cute!"

"You two are going out, of course _you_ think it's cute! But Izumi agrees it's ugly!" insisted Hotaru.

Sumi sighed. Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, she looked at the ceiling. "Is there anything that'll get you off my case?"

Hotaru laughed, "No. Oh, Mr. Ugly-bandana-head is coming over. Hey! Bandana head! STOP SLOUCHING! Sumi doesn't want a slouching boyfriend."

Kouji slumped over to Sumi, then began banging his head repeatedly on a nearby locker. "I'm never going to figure out how to fix him up. It's hopeless..."

Sumi yanked on Kouji's hand. "What's wrong? Come on, stop it! You don't have enough brain cells as it is!"

Leaning against the lockers and sinking to the floor, Kouji sighed and muttered, "Kouichi started going all snappy again. Hotaru, you didn't mention our mom, did you?" As Hotaru nodded, Kouji let out a groan, "I'm doomed..."

"Oops? Well, hey, he was being a brat!" Hotaru countered in her defense.

Kouji rose to his feet. "I'm...doomed. He's going to murder me, and I'm...doomed..."

"Kouji, you're too slow!" Kouji whirled around and winced as he saw Kouichi glaring at him, several feet away. The older twin kept his eyes on his brother as he continued, "You know, it gets annoying after a while..."

"What does?" Kouji asked politely, trying to maintain eye contact with Kouichi, and nearly giving up. _Why does he have to stare at me? WHY?_

"Your slacking. Or were you going over to Sumi and Takuya's?"

"Uhm, no, actually, Sumi and Hotaru are coming over for our Lit project..."

Raising an eyebrow, Kouichi looked at Sumi before his eyes settled on Hotaru. Unbeknownst to him, Hotaru shivered under his eyes, wondering how anyone could be so bitter. "Whatever," Kouichi finally muttered, turning around and walking off.

Kouji began to bang his head against the lockers. "Me...and...my...big...mouth..."

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"Kouichi! Can you cook something up?" Kouji yelled as he, Sumi and Hotaru entered the house several minutes later. Receiving no answer, he grumbled and dropped his bag onto the floor and headed into the kitchen.

"WAH! This place is huge!" Hotaru yelled in delight.

"You really are an idiot," Kouichi muttered, heading down the stairs, one hand on the rail, the other in his pocket. "This place is stupid."

Hotaru's jaw dropped. "Y-you! How long have you been living here? I mean, honestly, you _hate your own house?_" she exclaimed with a glare.

Kouichi shrugged. "It's ugly."

"Pretty!"

"Ugly."

"_Pretty_."

"It's ugly!"

"Pretty!"

"It's ugly, so shut up!" Kouichi snapped, heading into the kitchen. "Get out, Kouji! You're going to burn the kitchen down!"

Gratefully, Kouji walked out of the kitchen, heading to the living room and collapsing on the couch. "Okay, so I'm not doomed," he let out with a relieved sigh.

Hotaru frowned at Kouji. "Why does he think the house is ugly? I mean it's-"

"He lived with our mom. Our parents divorced when we were little," Kouji interrupted in a quiet voice. "Anyway, what do we do now?"

"Well, Romeo, _you_ can start by getting out your Lit book," Sumi advised, sitting down besides him, book in hand. "And then we can start on our project."

Grumbling as Hotaru sat down on the couch opposite them, Kouji stood up to get his Lit book from his bag. At that moment, Kouichi came out of the kitchen, four mugs on the tray he held. "What project are you guys doing, anyway?" he asked Sumi with a small smile as he placed the tray down.

Hotaru's jaw dropped in amazement, but Sumi smiled in return and replied, "We need to rewrite our assigned scene of _Romeo and Juliet_ using a new theme."

"Ah, I see. Hah, we already finished that."

"What was your theme?"

"Gangster. We were doing the balcony scene. It was Takuya's idea, and Izumi started yelling at him because of it."

Laughing, Sumi snickered, "Typical."

"Hah! I found it in the deep...uh...ooh! HOT CHOCOLATE!" Kouji yelled, dropping his book on the floor as he ran forward and grabbed a mug eagerly. Kouichi shook his head and was about to leave before Kouji grabbed his hand and yanked him back. "No. Way. Sit. No more anti-social act. That's _my_ cover."

Kouichi waved his brother's hand off. "Shut up. It's not being anti-social, it's...it's..."

"Being anti-social," Hotaru supplied.

"Y-yeah, being-No, it isn't! No one asked you!" snapped the older twin. "I am _not_ anti-social!"

"So_ prove_ it."

"Wh-you..." Steaming, Kouichi plopped down on the couch, beside Hotaru, arms crossed angrily.

Hotaru smiled smugly, then picked up a mug. "So...what should our theme be?" she asked, taking a sip of hot chocolate.

Kouji stared at Sumi, who had started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Between fits of laughter, Sumi grabbed Kouji's hand and yanked him down to whisper into his ear. Slowly, a smile appeared on Kouji's face. "E-hem, yes, anyway...theme..."

"I don't see what's so funny," Hotaru muttered. She turned to Kouichi, hoping he would have an answer, but found him starting up the stairs as inconspicuously as he could possibly be. Eyes widened as Hotaru barked, "Hey! Mr. Anti-social! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

Kouichi winced and stood up straight, stopping in his tracks and looking down at Hotaru with a defiant face. He stuck his tongue out. "Make me! You guys are boring!" he yelled, now running up the stairs.

"You little!" Hotaru jumped out of her seat and made an effort to follow the older boy, but instead found herself restrained by Kouji and Sumi. "Lemme go! Someone needs to beat him up!"

Sumi managed to drag Hotaru back and force her to sit. Shoving the mug Hotaru previously drank from in her face, Sumi warned, "One of the things you never want to do is go charge into a boy's room, okay? Especially Kouichi's. Now shut up, think, and drink you're hot chocolate. We're all lucky Kouichi bothered making _anything_. Kouji would have blown up the kitchen trying to make some."

Hotaru stared at the mug curiously. "Uh...you mean Kouji can't pour hot chocolate mix into a cup, and milk and heat it?"

"Kouichi makes everything from scratch," Kouji explained. "Says it's safer. He's just paranoid about getting sick. He hardly cooks anymore, though, and he eats less. So we're pretty lucky when he _does_ cook or eat. Not that Mom's cooking is bad, but..." Noticing the stares Hotaru and Sumi directed his way, Kouji cleared his throat and sat down. "So...theme..."

Quietly placing the mug down, Hotaru shut her eyes. "People will think that modern will be overly used, so they'll do something like gangster or who knows what. So we'll go with modern," Hotaru affirmed, opening her Lit book on her lap. _Guess I have a lot to learn_...

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From the railings of the top of the stairs, Kouichi sat down and watched his brother. He hated it when other people could force him to do anything with a simple dare. He wasn't like this before...

Letting go of the bars, Kouichi sighed and sat on the top step on the stairs, rocking back on his palms. "This is stupid," he decided in a mutter, standing up. "I don't care what they think," he told himself firmly, "because their words don't matter. I can do everything without them. I'll be fine. I always am...they...they just never are..."

Kouichi let out a small moan as he headed to his room, slamming the door shut. "Why do I need to prove myself? I hate her! I don't need to prove myself to her. She's forcing me to...damn her," he swore, falling back on his bed and closing his eyes. Kouichi drew a breath, trying to keep it steady as he exhaled. "Cherubimon, do you hate me that much? Or does Ophanimon hate me? Or do you all hate me?" As the scene flashed in his head, Kouichi withheld a whimper and gripped the sheets tightly, drawing them around him. "No...I shouldn't have followed her. It's my fault. I'm an idiot, dammit...why..."

He was too caught up in his own little world that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching his door. "Ow," he heard someone mutter outside his door. "Gah...this house is huge..."

Kouichi's eyes flew open and he bolted towards his door, opening it and glaring at Hotaru, who was on the floor, rubbing her arm. "What are you doing here?" he growled, stepping outside of his room and shutting the door quietly behind him.

Hotaru froze and glanced up at Kouichi, blushing furiously. "Uh...uh...uh...w-well, uhm..."

"No! Dammit," Kouji yelled, racing up the stairs. "I forgot you didn't know where my ro-huh? Kouichi, are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_," snapped Kouichi, slamming the door shut as he went back into his room.

Hotaru let out a relieved sigh as she stood up and accompanied Kouji to his room. "For a moment, I swear he would've yelled at me," she muttered miserably. "He's such a meanie..."

Laughing, Kouji opened the door to his room and shook his head as he murmured, "Kouichi's not that bad. I suppose he picks more fights now, but he wouldn't yell at you."

Making a face as she stepped into the bandana boy's room, Hotaru replied, "Your room is messy."

"Shut up." Kouji cringed as he brought out his notebook and annotations, then pushed her out. "Takuya's is worse."

"Uh-huh...hey, Kouji?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you planning to ask Sumi to the dance or what? The anticipation kills," Hotaru told him, a smirk on her face.

Turning red, Kouji ran down the stairs without another word.

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_They're gone. They _have_ to be gone_, Kouichi thought, slowly and quietly making his way down the stairs. "Dammit," he muttered, seeing three figures on the couches.

Sighing, he slumped his shoulders and headed down the stairs noisily and grumpily, giving up on all hope of solitude. "Kouji, h-...they're sleeping," mused Kouichi in disbelief. "What...the..." Sighing and allowing a small smile to appear on his face, Kouichi headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

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"Nooo! I can't believe I fell asleep!" Sumi yelled, suddenly jumping up and accidentally hitting Kouji's shoulder in the process. "Ack! Kouji, no! I'm so sorry!"

Hotaru groaned and rolled over onto the floor. "Ow...f-five...minutes..."

"Huh?" Kouji's eyes slowly opened as the searing pain flowed through his shoulder. "Oh...I smell..."

"Dinner's ready, slackers!" Kouichi yelled from the kitchen.

Surprised, Kouji jumped up, forgetting the pain and dashing into the kitchen without waiting for anyone. "Food! I'm hungry." As the two girls made their way to the kitchen, Kouji yelped, hopping towards them while grabbing his left foot. "Hotaru's right…Kouichi _is_ a meanie," he muttered, looking at his brother, who was standing by the stove, staring at the dying heat. "Can I eat _now_?"

Kouichi shrugged and murmured, "Knock yourselves out. The food's on the table." As Kouji cheered and ran to the table, Sumi shook her head. "Sumi, I really do pity you..."

Smiling, Sumi walked to the table. "Well, I'd be happy if I were him, too." Hotaru followed closely behind, muttering something under her breath. Sumi glared and elbowed the girl lightly, muttering back, "Shush. You should be grateful, you know."

Hotaru grumbled and sat down in her seat grumpily. As soon as Kouji and Sumi sat down, Kouichi turned around and was about to walk away when the two began to cough. With a heavy sigh, the older twin turned around, no hint of humor on his face. "What?"

"You're eating, too," Kouji stated bluntly.

Kouichi walked back, pulled out a chair and sat down. His eyes didn't leave Kouji's. Sumi rolled her eyes and kicked Kouji's foot under the table before throwing her spoon at Kouichi. Standing up to pick up her fallen spoon, Sumi told them, "As amusing as you clowns think you are, I'd really like to eat, and I'm sure-Hotaru! Wake up!"

The older twin let out a snicker. Standing up, he chuckled, "Someone's getting irritated." He head to the drawers and pulled out a new spoon. Handing it to Sumi, he whispered, "I'll eat, but you have to leave me alone."

"Kouichi..."

"No. I told you, I'll go along being calm old Kouichi who doesn't tell anyone to shut up as long as you leave me alone. I'm tired of people trying to help me. If anyone needs help, it's the rest of you," muttered Kouichi, eyes glued on an awake and aware Hotaru. Taking the other spoon from Sumi, he added, "And if anyone else finds out about this, I'll make it my personal mission to murder Kouji."

Kouji swallowed, glancing nervously at Hotaru, who gazed lazily at the glaring Kouichi. "Right," the younger twin said hastily, "So, are we gonna eat?"

---------------------------------------------

"Gah, Hotaru's gonna get me murdered," Kouji whimpered the next day at school. He slammed his locker shut. "Even if she doesn't, Kouichi'll murder me anyway."

Sumi murmured reassuringly, "You know he wouldn't."

"Uh-huh..." Hotaru muttered. "He's stupid."

"That would be you," Kouichi shot, opening his locker, located next to Kouji's, and throwing a book in. "I've really never met a stupider girl."

"Funny how you and Kouji are twins. It really is, considering _you're_ stupid and he's smart."

Clearing his throat and flushing red, Kouji muttered, "Actually, he has the higher GPA. I'm half as smart."

"And...I'm at 72 myself," Sumi admitted.

Hotaru opened her mouth, but quickly closed it and hid behind Sumi. "Sumi," she whispered, "is he coming this way?"

Sumi shook her head. "You're going to have to talk to him one of these days..."

Kouichi turned to his brother who seemed equally confused. "Girls," he muttered. "Anyway, are they coming over again?"

Kouji nodded. "Sorry, but it's only for-what?" he asked Sumi, seeing the look on her face.

Smiling sweetly, Sumi told Kouichi, "See, Kouichi, our project's going to last all week. I hope you don't mind."

Red faced, Hotaru stuttered, "Couldn't we go to your cousin's house, Sumi?"

"Nope. Shinya's videogames attract Kouji like a moth to light."

At this, Kouichi chuckled, "Kouji and Takuya as moths...very nice analogy."

Kouji folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not _that_ bad. Not like Hotaru hiding behind Sumi because of some _boy_," he returned in a sour tone.

Angrily, Hotaru snapped, "Sumi, you-"

Sumi's defensive remark was quick. "Kouji's just observant!"

A sly grin appeared on the bandana boy's face. His eyes scanned the room. _No one seems likely enough. Might as well just lie_, he thought. The room was devoid of all boys save Kouichi, himself, and another boy with dark brown hair who was walking away from his locker. As he didn't have a clue as to who the third boy was (and he wanted to get his kicks while he was still alive), Kouji decided to say his guess aloud. "Let me guess..." He paused for a dramatic effect before uttering, "Kouichi."

Kouichi and Hotaru exchanged blank glances before turning to Kouji. "Nice joke," they muttered in unison.

The grin quickly faded, replaced by a serious look. "I wasn't joking," Kouji responded automatically. His tone was level as he continued, "I was actually serious." _Actually_…_it works_!

The older twin turned around, his back to the three. "Kouji," he murmured warningly.

"You know what? A relation would help you." _It would! I'm a genius_.

Letting out a sharp breath, Kouichi snapped icily, "_What_ did I say before?" Coldly, he turned away and began walking to his classroom.

Kouji turned to Sumi and let out a defeated sigh after hearing his brother's fading footsteps. "It was worth a try. Anyway-"

"_Kouji_..." Hotaru growled, stepping out of Sumi's shadow.

The boy shrugged. "On your part, a joke," he murmured, "Kouichi, however...well, the day I get into his mind, I'll thank the world."

Hotaru's face softened. "Why do you do so much for him?"

"I met my mom because of him. I found out how important my family is to me. I actually have a social life thanks to him. So, _you_ don't have to come over all week, but it would help," he commented.

A devious smile played on her face. "You're kidding, right? I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

---------------------------------------------

Kouichi walked into class a second before the bell rang. A tired sigh escaped his lips while he walked to his seat, immediately sitting down and resting his head on the desk. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused him to look up a few seconds later. "Yes?" he snapped.

A brown haired boy in a black jacket looked down at him. He had dark, seemingly endless eyes that surprised Kouichi. "E-er...hi," the boy muttered lamely. "I'm Arata-"

"I know."

"Right, I was...um, I was wondering-"

Pulling out his notebook, Kouichi asked, "You want me to tutor you?" He locked eyes with the now ashen-faced Arata. "I'm not reading your mind. And fine, I'll help."

"R-really?"

Face and voice void of emotion, Kouichi turned back to his notebook. "Yes."

"Thanks. Um..."

"Today after school if you can make it," Kouichi replied calmly. Arata nodded and went to sit down. A thin smile formed on Kouichi's lips. _Well, they're all in for a surprise_.

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A/N-

I need to change the title. I'll do that before the next chapter. An accident on my part. So…heads up. It won't be a major change, though.

I wrote this quite a few months ago. Sometime last year, really…before NTB3 was even up. It was one of the first intended multi-chapters. The other, a Takumi fic…ehehe. Truthfully, this fic has changed a lot, even in the some eleven chapters I wrote. I'm really proud of it.

True, there isn't much so far in, but it's actually gone a long way in these two short chapters. That's why I really love this story: it tells so much in so little. Or…so I think. Sorry. If you have any questions, ASK, because I know I'm bound to confuse many of you. Truthfully, I confuse myself a lot just writing this. But I actually go back and read this story (another reason I love it so much).

Thank you: **GemmaniGirl, ritachi, Light's Blue Blossom**

You've all given me a lot of support just by reviewing and telling me your opinions.

Next chapter should be posted: September 7

Please review, PM, or flame.


	3. Confrontations

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Confrontations

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Kouichi threw the door open, walked in, and dropped his bag down. He turned to Arata. "Do you want anything to eat?" the boy asked in a blunt manner.

Swallowing, Arata shook his head no.

_He looks pale_, observed Kouichi. Frowning, he walked into the kitchen. Minutes later, he came back out and handed Arata a mug. "Hot chocolate. Drink it. You're skinny." That comment left Arata blinking. A small but wry smile appeared on Kouichi's face as he picked up his bag and walkd up the stairs. "I suggest you hurry up so we get as much as possible done," he said in a loud voice, not bothering to wait for Arata.

Flustered, Arata raced up the stairs. "R-right!"

---------------------------------------------

The two boys both stopped to take a break after going through the first lesson of math. Kouichi had called for it, slowly becoming worried (though he wouldn't dare show it) that Kouji wasn't home yet. It all disappeared with every drop of fatigue he encountered at the sound of heavy footfalls. Whispers were approaching his room, and although Kouji knew better, Kouichi could be positive that his twin would open the door.

"I don't think he's in there," whispered the familiar (and annoying) voice of Hotaru. Inside, Arata shot Kouichi a puzzled look.

Kouichi shook his head. "Wait," he murmured. One hand was held up in front of Arata, another clenched by his side. There was a thin smile of amusement on his face and his eyes were glittering wildly.

There it was, the sound of Kouji's hand on the doorknob. The older twin nearly laughed as Kouji declared, "I'm breaking in, then!" The doorknob turned slightly.

Sumi voiced her hesitation, "Kouji...I don't think-"

The door opened. Arata jumped to his feet, squeaking slightly. The other boy dropped his hand (which, as with his other hand, fell promptly into his pocket) and stood up, walking up to his brother, who had fallen on the floor while attempting to 'break into' the room. "What was _that_ about?"

"N-nothing!" Kouji jumped to his feet, laughing lightly. The laughter quickly subsided, replaced by a silence pregnant with confusion.

The reactions after that were quick. Hotaru raced out with wide eyes as if something obscene had taken place. Equally as confused, Kouji and Sumi stayed in the room. Sumi did her best to keep calm, and seemed to be having an inner dispute of going after Hotaru or staying in the room. The latter side one out, and she stepped up towards Kouji to finalize her decision.

"Who is _he_?" Kouji's eyes narrowed on Arata's, whose eyes glittered angrily. The bandana boy didn't like the look of him one bit. And what was worse was Kouichi seemed to be enjoying that fact.

Clearing his throat, Kouichi introduced the two boys. "Arata, meet Kouji," the older boy said, his tone bored. He pointed to his brother, who stood only a few feet away. "And I'm tutoring Arata."

The brown haired boy averted his gaze to the paper in his right hand. Looking up, he spoke his first words in a bare whisper: "Was that Hotaru?"

"Yeah, do you know her?" Sumi asked with a sudden curiosity.

"Oh...uh, we're neighbors," Arata explained weakly.

Shivering, Kouji shifted his weight around from one foot to the other. He shut his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. "Well," he declared, "I really pity you, then." It was a start at accepting the boy in front of him, or so he thought.

Puzzled, Arata turned to his tutor. "I do too," Kouichi said solemnly, nodding.

"She's not _that_ bad," Arata said slowly. He noticed Kouji's eyes on him and stepped back. "Wh-what?"

"How long have you known her?" Kouji tried to suppress a wide grin, but it slowly seeped out. The gears were turning wildly in his mind, making connections quickly.

Arata shrugged. Not seeing the harm in the question, he replied, "Since kindergarten." His eyes were still slightly wide, betraying his confusion (not that it seemed like he was _trying_ to hide it).

Kouji chuckled, "I see. Sumi, we should work on the project now, huh?" He turned to the girl behind him.

Sumi nodded. While following Kouji out, she hissed, "I know what you're thinking, but leave her alone!" The girl grabbed his arm, deciding he wasn't paying close enough attention. "Kouji!"

Smiling, Kouji replied, "She likes him, doesn't she?" His grin was revealed by now, and laughter quietly racked through his body.

The brunette silently glared at Kouji. Leaning forward, Kouji gave her a quick kiss. "Hey," he murmured, "I'm not going to do anything. I promise."

"Okay..."

"I'm _not_," he insisted.

"If you say so. Where did Hotaru go?" Sumi looked around before descending the stairs and calling out Hotaru's name.

Hotaru stood by the couch, flushed red. "Th-that was him, huh?" she asked softly.

"I was right!" Kouji declared. When Sumi shot him an angry glare, he cleared his throat and continued, "Now on with the project!" Hotaru looked at the two, looking confused. "We can spy on them later," Kouji muttered.

---------------------------------------------

"And I'm sure they fell asleep again," muttered Kouichi as he and Arata made their way downstairs. Sure enough, Kouji had fallen asleep again, head rested on the arm of the couch. Only Hotaru and Sumi were awake, quietly discussing something that Kouichi decided only concerned girls. Kouichi purposely pushed Arata before him, causing the boy to stumble down the stairs loudly. Sumi and Hotaru looked up.

Kouichi reached the bottom just as Arata was getting up. He regarded Arata strangely and inquired loud enough for both girls to hear, "Not hurt, are you?" Arata shook his head and Kouichi continued, "Good. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"N-no, that's okay," Arata stuttered. "Er...I need to go now."

A smirk appeared on Kouichi's face as his eyes darted to the side to catch the girls' expressions. Hotaru sat on the couch, barely meeting his eyes. "A pity. It would have been nice if you could," the boy commented loudly. Hotaru sank even lower in her seat. Chuckling, Kouichi shook his head and turned away from Hotaru and Sumi. Putting on a small smile, he led Arata to the door and told him, "You know the material just fine. All you need to do is check how you place your numbers and keep track of the negative signs. We'll work on everything else some other time." He opened the door.

Arata nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Kouichi," he murmured before dashing out.

Kouichi shut the door and headed to the kitchen. "Sumi, could you wake Kouji up? He was playing video games until two this morning," the boy told her from the kitchen.

"What was his excuse?" Sumi called back, staring at the comatose form of Kouji.

A snort was emitted from the older twin. After a few seconds of silence, he replied, "He claimed he couldn't sleep. Do you two want hot chocolate?" Kouichi came out of the kitchen with three mugs on a stainless steel tray.

At this point, before Sumi could say anything or Kouichi could move, Hotaru snapped, "What's your problem? Do you _enjoy_ torturing people? And what did _I_ do to you?"

"Uh..." Kouichi placed the tray on the table and pretended to think, even going so far as to strike a thinking pose. "Let...me...see...oh! You mean other than digging into my business, which _doesn't concern you_?" he spat.

The two locked furious gazes. Smoothly (yet without much contemplation), Hotaru grabbed a cup of hot chocolate, stood on her tiptoes and dumped it over Kouichi's head. He stood unmoving, his eyes glued to her as the warm liquid travelled down his body, soaking his clothes and mostly his hair. "I. Didn't. Dig. I pointed out a fact. _You're_ the one who's digging!" As she said this, she screamed each word louder than the one before it.

"Do _all_ girls have tempers like you?" Kouichi finally asked after a deadly silence, catching a few drops of the hot chocolate in his hand as it dripped from the ends of his hairs. "What a waste," he continued, knowing all too well that Hotaru wouldn't speak. "_One_ mug of hot chocolate wasted. That won't do." Calmly, he took the other two mugs and poured them over Hotaru mercilessly. "Enjoy," he stated, "I'm going to take a bath." The mugs were dropped by his side, and Kouichi allowed them to crash to the ground, where they lay shattered in shards.

Hotaru swallowed as she gazed at the broken mugs. Trembling, she turned to Sumi. "S-Sumi..."

Sumi silently watched Kouichi ascend the stairs and slam the door to his room shut behind him. Letting out a sigh, she placed a hand on Kouji's shoulder. "Are you happy now?"

"No," came the dull reply. "What the hell is wrong with him?" Kouji sat up, suppressing a sigh. "Hotaru, there's a bathroom over there if you want to wash off. I'm sorry he's being an unbearable jerk. It's probably my fault," he muttered, "and anyway, I think it's better if we work over at Takuya's from now on."

Sumi nodded. "Agreed." Standing up, she pulled the still stunned Hotaru to the bathroom.

In the meantime, Kouji looked at the door. _Whoever you are, Arata,_ he thought, eyes fixed into a glare, _don't do what I think you're going to do_.

---------------------------------------------

_A young boy who wasn't so young ran_. _He kept running until he stumbled over his own feet_. _Slowly_, _his pursuers walked into the picture_, _proceeded by a giant black dog_. "_P-please_," _the boy begged_. "_Don't make me do this!_"

_There were two boys behind the black dog, both of who wore hooded robes_. _The taller one walked forward and leaned down to yank the fallen boy up off the floor by his collar_. "_We told you Baku doesn't like to be kept waiting_. _He wants his new recruits on time_. _Now make sure you don't screw up, kid_. _You've come through before_, _haven't you?_"

"_B_-_but_-"

Kouichi rolled out of bed. _Don't tell me_, he thought, suddenly growing angry, _that that's who I think it is_.

"Kouichi! Dinner!"

"C-coming!" Kouichi called back, furiously racing down the steps. He slowed his pace as he approached the table, noticing Hotaru and Sumi were still here. Frowning, Kouichi tried to recall what had happened before he had fallen asleep.

He wished he didn't.

Uncomfortably, Kouichi took a seat and fell quiet, half alert to the conversations that took place at the table.

"So, you three have a project?" Kousei asked Sumi.

Sumi nodded and put on a smile. "Yes," she answered politely, going on to add, "I hope we aren't being too much trouble."

He caught the look in Hotaru's eyes. _Trouble_. Kouichi panicked._ S_tanding up, he mumbled, "I'm not hungry. I...have to finish the rest of my homework." It was a lie. He had finished it while tutoring Arata.

Coldly, Hotaru muttered, "I bet you do."

The boy said nothing, but raced back to his room. He couldn't understand it before, but he did now.

The more he discovered about himself, the more he wanted to die.

---------------------------------------------

The weeks passed quickly, or so it seemed to Kouichi. Since that day, Kouji hadn't invited anyone over, not even Sumi. Kouichi kept himself locked in his room, whether there were people inside the house or not. He seldom tutored Arata, always went to school, and (other than for important matters) refrained from talking to anyone or eating with the family. His hours of sleep were cut down, and the days always ended with a midnight dinner.

He began to wonder if it was really worth it.

It was a rather rainy day when Kouichi decided to go for a walk. He said nothing, but just walked outside, knowing very well that Kouji and his father, both of who sat in the living room, thought he was crazy.

The rain was hardly gentle, pounding on Kouichi. _Maybe I'll die of pneumonia_, he thought hopefully, pulling his jacket closer around him and inserting his hands into his pockets.

It began to rain harder.

Kouichi wasn't sure how to think anymore. The dreams came less frequently now; he hadn't had one in at least the past week. He was grateful for the possibility of being normal again.

But something felt terribly wrong at the same time.

As if on cue to what he was feeling, a terrified scream split the air. A woman's voice, Kouichi guessed. Miserably, he shut his eyes. He knew exactly where it would lead. The boy ran down three houses and turned to the direction of the scream as it sounded again. Kouichi was surprised the neighbors hadn't come out by now. "This one," he muttered, racing into the house he was by.

The door was open, as he expected. But that was the last thing he remembered from his last dream. The rest he was fairly sure he could manage.

"Get away from her!"

Kouichi winced. _So I was right_. Realization of whose house it was made him worry all the more. _Hold on_. It wasn't too hard to find his way to the source of the action with all the clatter. Stopping at the threshold to the kitchen, Kouichi let out an exasperated sigh. It was like his dream after his fight with Hotaru. There were only a few differences; they were inside, there was a fourth person, the moster dog was gone, and the boys really seemed to mean business.

"Arata, you're a lot of trouble, you know that?" snapped Kouichi. The two boys stopped approaching Arata and the woman who Kouichi guessed to be Arata's mother. Instead of continuing towards their victims, they turned to him. He couldn't get a clear view on the two. They wore hooded robes as they did in the dream (rather strange attire for the modern world in his opinion), and only the taller boy had pulled his hood off, revealing his sinister smirk. "Would you really stoop so low as to pick on a woman?" Kouichi asked, eyes narrowing on the two as hate flew through his veins.

The taller boy laughed, "Nothing matters so long as the job's done. And Baku was right." His grin widened.

Instinctively, Kouichi took a step back. The second boy (shorter than his companion) allowed a hand to slip into his pocket. When he withdrew it, a card was in his hand. Kouichi squinted as the shorter boy's hand disappeared into his sleeve. "Cerberusmon," the boy called softly.

_Cerberusmon_? _But that means_-

Kouichi had no time to react as the dog pinned him down. Each one of its three heads bared their teeth, ready to tear him apart on the spot. Eyes wide, he whispered his conclusion aloud, "Digimon..."

The first boy came over and kneeled down by Kouichi. "Is he the one, Dai?"

'Dai' nodded. Turning to Arata, he tilted his head to the side. "He doesn't seem like much. Why did you bother trying to help him?" he queried in a voice that, despite his helpless situation, made Kouichi (who couldn't help but think) draw the conclusion that the second boy was a good deal younger than the first. Arata, unable to bear looking Kouichi (or anyone else for that matter) in the eyes, hung his head low. "Itsuma, what now?"

"We clean up," Itsuma replied, standing up. "Get Arata and his mom. And tell the dog to take the idiot. I'll clean up here." He was about to turn away but stopped. "First thing's first." A sickening grin (worse than the one before) appeared on 'Itsuma's' face.

Pain coursed through Kouichi's body. Even as he tried to fight it, darkness slowly overcame him, embracing him warmly.

---------------------------------------------

Arata shivered as he sat down to wait for his judgement. Kouichi lay unconscious to his right. The two were surrounded by gray stone walls, stone steps in front of them leading to a plain door, just as the steps they sat upon did. Arata guessed just beyond the giant door many yards in front of them was where Baku resided. Behind him was obviously one of the many maze rooms that (with the right choices of doors) led to the entrance hall. The doors to his right and left, he guessed to be prisons or something else. No piece of furniture or decoration filled the room, making Arata feel as if he was in a prison already.

The thought made him shiver slightly. He began to wonder, _Will I go to the prisons_? A sorrowful look donned his face. "Kouichi, I'm really, really sorry," he murmured miserably. He was a walking mess. That was what had brought him here. A loud groan startled Arata out of his misery.

Kouichi rolled over, falling out of his make-shift bed (which was in actuality merely a step in front of the door behind them). The dull thud from the fall echoed throughout the large, empty room.

"No wonder I didn't get anything on this," Kouichi mumbled, rising to his feet and gingerly feeling the bruise on his head. "It was a dream of me being knocked out. What kind of cra-" Silence overcame him as he looked around at his surroundings.

The gaze soon fell on Arata. In response, the boy winced and shut his eyes, bracing himself for a hit or a thread of never-ending insults. None of that came. Only a hand on his shoulder (which still caused him to jump) did. Arata's eyes widened fearfully as he turned to Kouichi in shock. "Why-"

"Your mom," murmured Kouichi immediately. He sounded urgent. Tightening his grip on Arata's shoulder, Kouichi asked, "Is she okay?"

Arata shut his eyes and drew a shaky breath. "I don't know," he confessed. "It depends on my judgement."

"Your judgement?"

"Arata, show some respect!" a girl snapped.

Cringing, Arata stood up and bowed low. "Lady Yumena."

Startled, Kouichi rose to his feet and turned to the girl who had spoken earlier. He nearly let out a laugh. Kouichi snorted, "Lady? She's a whole head shorter than you and hardly older."

The girl sent him a glare. Even as she walked up to him, Kouichi kept up his best poker face. 'Yumena,' as Arata had called her, inquired, "He's the new one?" When Arata nodded, a smirk appeared on her face. "In that case, Arata, I wish you the best of luck. He may get you out of trouble, but Baku might think of him as a great...replacement." She trailed off and took several steps back, examining Kouichi.

Kouichi took some time to make his own observations. Yumena's black hair was done up in a bun; he wagered it was longer than Sumi's own shoulder length hair. He couldn't be sure of the exact color of her eyes in the poorly lit room, but guessed them to be dark brown or perhaps black. In fact, he guessed black to be her favorite color; the cloak she wore was black, as was the skirt that reached to her ankles. Only her shirt, mostly hidden by her cloak (which Kouichi found ridiculous to wear), was white. Kouichi guessed her to be his age or a year or two younger. She was probably a head shorter than Arata. He found her strangely familiar, but as to where, he couldn't put his finger on.

It was several more seconds before Yumena turned around and kneeled down. Head bowed, she murmured, "Master Baku."

Icy wasn't the word to describe it. As the large door opened, a shivering gust of wind blew towards the three. Kouichi felt his blood turn to ice as a robed figure stepped out from behind the door. The hood was pulled well over his head, and Kouichi couldn't make anything out, especially due to the lack of light. Yumena spoke again: "Master Baku, you will have to excuse Arata's foolishness, but we have the new recruit as you asked." Slowly, she looked up, as if she was afraid. "Your judgement, Master?"

"Hold it!" Kouichi suddenly snapped without a second of thought. "I'm not a recruit! I'll decide when and where I want to be recruited, thanks!" He could feel Arata's eyes on him, wide and frightened. It only seemed right to make a stand for the poor boy.

The figure (Baku, Kouichi guessed) simply dropped an item to the floor before turning around and walking back through the doors he came from (they shut automatically, making Kouichi wonder if he was just dreaming). Yumena stood up and rushed up the stairs to retrieve the item. As she picked it up, she calmly walked halfway down the stairs before sitting down on a step and eyeing Arata. "Arata," she said softly, "you were reluctant. Why?" Kouichi's outburst wasn't bothered to be addressed, angering the boy slightly.

Arata trembled and dropped to his knees. "Please," he sobbed, "don't hurt her..."

Kouichi felt himself flinch at that moment. An annoyed growl escaped his lips. "Listen, you stupid girl," he snapped, feeling only slightly guilty for calling her stupid, "What'll it take you to get off of Arata's back?" He knew exactly why he was doing this. Yet at the same time Kouichi wondered if he really did.

"Let me see..." An amused smile formed on Yumena's lips. Kouichi didn't like her immediately. The tone of her voice, the way she smiled...everything about her screamed for him to keep far away from her.

He knew it wouldn't be possible.

Before she continued, Yumena turned the package over in her hands. "Kouichi Kimura, I presume?" Kouichi said nothing, simply keeping his gaze on her. "Well, Baku knows you won't join willingly..." Yumena chuckled before she declared with a hint of amusement in her voice, "In exchange for Arata Miyahara and his mother's life, you will work for us. Do we have a deal?" And yet the tone in her voice made Kouichi doubt her every word.

It wasn't as if Kouichi didn't have his own tricks. "Of course that's the deal I want. Question is, do you plan to uphold your part?"

His hopes wavered when she smiled and replied, "Of course."

Stumped, Kouichi gazed at the stone floor. "Fine. You stop bugging Arata, leave his family alone, don't bug any of my family and their relations, and we have a deal," he agreed, looking up with his gaze fixed onto her. Still, he was wondering if he had forgotten to mention any other conditions for her to abide by.

Yumena snapped her fingers. "Done. Itsuma, Daisuke, take care of Arata and his mother. You, Kimura, will come with me," she ordered, walking past Kouichi and opening the door.

Eyes narrowing, Kouichi followed her without a word.

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A/N-

**BIG FAT NOTE**: The following in italics is important to the stories progress: _I'm going back to edit chapters one and two due to the fact that I want this story as close to how it would be in an actual…Japanese story. That means in terms of school, etc. I should be finished by the time I put up chapter four. Thank you for bearing with me_.

(…you can skip the rest.)

Anyone want to help me what category this story falls under? (I add a little bit of everything...it's so hard to decide...) So...it really starts STARTS now. (I'm sorry if you don't like it...) I've read through a few times, and it seems fast-paced. I'll attempt to answer questions to the best of my ability. Um, as the _great_ Hiro Mashima said (in response to fanmail, but who cares!)…:

"_Certainly, anything could happen. In this manga, you never know what'll happen week to week…I try_."

I know over half the people reading this will hate me for such a long A/N, but I just want to let you know what's frying my brain: SCHOOL. I have seven classes. Japanese is first with an awesome teacher and (some) hilarious people. Math is second, and the teacher renewed my history book and math book, so she's awesome to me. My Art teacher is stricter this year. AP US History is homework central. The teacher for Physics can't explain. My French teacher is so cool, 'encourages' us to speak French in class, and I think I'm actually getting how to properly pronounce the words (It's my fifth year, too!). Literature is okay. Homework is a sea, so please understand the lack of updating if it happens!

A while ago, I revered Wada Kouji for his awesome voice. Still…no real plot in lyrics, so….:scratches Wada Kouji from idol list:. (Kidding). Seriously, check out Hiro Mashima. I've only read Rave Master, but he's totally awesome. In terms of plot, I totally want to have his brain.

I'm sorry for the long A/N. I know it's totally unnecessary info for you, but I don't want to remain an anonymous, cold, unfeeling figure. I save that for the evil people (and I fail). I'll update sometime soon (no set date this time, sorry).

Thank you: **GemmaniGirl, ri-kun**

Please review, PM or flame!


	4. Initiations

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Initiation

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Arata had been taken home by the two boys from earlier, Daisuke and Itsuma. That left Kouichi alone with Yumena to wonder what he had gotten himself into.

The very first place Yumena stopped was a bedroom. "This," she murmured with a sweep of her arm, "is your room. We'll be getting your cards shortly after. For now, take a seat and I'll explain everything." She turned to Kouichi, who was already lying down on the bed. _Or...not_, the girl thought. Annoyed, she cleared her throat and told him, "You're in the lair of Baku's World-"

Kouichi turned over on his side, propping his elbow on the bed with his palm supporting his tilted head. "What school do you go to?" he asked, frowning at her. "Or are you younger than I think you are?"

Irritated, Yumena snapped, "I'm in your class, now shut up." She tried to collect herself, but found it difficult. It was completely unlike her to be set off by someone such as him. Even so, she couldn't ignore him.

"Really? So...did you drop out or something?" He was silently laughing. She was far easier to annoy than Hotaru. _Taro girl'll be glad to hear that_, thought Kouichi, suppressing a grin.

Yumena drew a breath and let it out slowly in hopes of calming herself down. She shut her eyes and continued explaining, "Baku's World is the one and only elite group of digital sorcery. We were founded about three years ago. Baku is our leader. Our main goal at the moment is to uncover several...artifacts." She said this quickly, opening her eyes. Yumena stopped.

Rummaging through the drawers of the table beside his bed, Kouichi began to hum to himself in an act to ignore Yumena's every word. When at last he finished, he turned to Yumena and smirked. "You were saying?" he asked in a mockingly innocent voice. Quietly, he sat up on the bed and stared into her eyes, a plan formulating in his mind.

Yumena undid her cloak and threw it to the side as she sat down in a nearby chair and crossed her legs. Clearing her throat, she told him, "These artifacts will allow us to merge digital and real into one world, making it easier for Baku to rise up and claim the worlds."

The boy smirked. "So...he's just a guy who wants to rule both worlds?" Kouichi summarized. When Yumena nodded, he slowly lowered himself back on the bed. "Big deal. So does every other loser out there."

Yumena stood up, eyes flashing once before she walked over and sat on the bed beside Kouichi. "And we only have one artifact to go," she added, lying down as well.

Kouichi's mind was racing. _Dare I try_? _Ah, why not_? He rolled over and placed the palms of his hands by her sides, hovering over the girl. "Close to world domination, hm? What did he promise you? A kingdom?" he joked.

Much to his disappointment, Yumena seemed to be playing along. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer. Both were trying to keep calm, though occasionally, their breath gave them away. Breathlessly, she whispered, "You'll be serving under my talon. Around the others, you will address me as Lady Yumena. However, in private...I will allow you to call me Yume." She seemed to be fighting to keep a hold of herself.

Kouichi wanted to laugh as she continued to pull him closer. _So she doesn't get it_? Kouichi hid a smirk. "So, Yume," he murmured in a low voice, "how do I serve you?"

The blush on her face confirmed his suspicions. _Girls_, thought Kouichi disgustedly. His face held a calm look, a perfect poker face.

Yume finally replied, "You can tell me if you're going out with Hotaru..." One of her hands trailed from his shoulder to his cheek.

"Hotaru?" Kouichi was tempted to stop his act at that moment. _How does she know Hotaru_? "Maybe...would it bother you if I was?" A smirk accompanied the question. _I'll get it out of her some other day_.

She was struggling to reach up to him. Whimpering in protest as Kouichi moved his hands to pin down her arms, Yume answered, "Yes."

He chuckled, "Well I'm not anywhere close to Hotaru. You know..." Kouichi leaned closer. "You never told me what he promised you..."

Yume let out a clear laugh. It was almost friendly. "Isn't it obvious? I get to inherit the kingdom," she told him.

"I see..." Kouichi leaned closer until they were a mere inch or two apart. "You aren't in my class. What's with the lie?"

Laughing, the girl sighed, "Why go to some stupid school when Baku has tutors for me?"

Surprise hit Kouichi like a punch to the gut, but he managed to keep his composure. Slowly, he licked his lips, staying in the position until Yume tried to bring her head up. It as at that moment that Kouichi pushed away, chuckling. He rolled to the side and stood up. "Are all girls so easy like you?" he taunted, seeing Yume's face redden considerably. Satisfied with her humiliation, Kouichi averted his gaze to look around the room.

Yume stood up. Not meeting his eyes, she instructed, "Take a bath. The initiation is an hour from now."

_A bath_? _What is with these people_? _There's a bathroom_? Kouichi's face showed his confusion, amusement, and disgust at the same time. Nevertheless, he headed to the bathroom and made sure to lock the door behind him.

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Kouichi came out of the bathroom as he had gone in (there were no change of clothes), the only difference being his wet hair and a discontent look upon his face. "One, why are you on my bed?" he asked sourly. For some odd reason, he found himself incredibly annoyed after he came out of the shower, not sure of the reason himself (it was contrary to usual-a shower was supposed to be relaxing for him).

Yawning, Yumena stretched and slowly stood up. Her hair was undone from the tight bun it had been in, falling just past her shoulders. She sighed and walked over to Kouichi, an innocent smile on her face. "Do all guys take such a long time in the shower? I just got tired," she replied.

An amused look replaced his annoyance. _She won't get her revenge like that_. "I'm sorry," he apologized, taking her right hand into his. He lifted it up and placed a mocking kiss on the back of her hand. His eyes were open, alert, glued to her face to see her reaction. "Did it inconvenience you, _Lady Yumena_?" Kouichi made sure he strongly emphasized the last two words.

Yumena yanked her hand away, looking positively furious with him. After a minute or two of glaring at him, she turned around and walked over to her fallen cloak. Picking up the item, she murmured, "Daisuke and Itsuma will be with you soon."

He wasn't sorry to see her leave. In fact, if anything, Kouichi was relieved. Just as he headed towards his bed, he heard a boy's voice advise him, "Don't. She probably put one of those Ranamon love potion things on the bed."

Kouichi winced and stared at the sheets. "I'd like to go home, thanks, if it's to sleep," he replied in a mutter.

Itsuma, Kouichi guessed, walked in followed by the shorter Daisuke. Comparing one to another, as their hoods were both off, Itsuma and Daisuke looked completely alike, save for their heights. "Brothers?" Kouichi guessed aloud.

Daisuke nodded. Brushing his black bangs out of his eyes, he murmured, "You shouldn't do that to Lady Yumena. She's really nice. And whenever we get in trouble, she sorts it out with Baku-"

"Stop babbling, Dai," Itsuma snapped. "We need to get him to the initiation."

The younger boy glanced at his shoes. Kouichi shook his head. "Don't tell me you two came into this willingly," he muttered.

Itsuma laughed, "Why? Do you realize how many dreams this world has crushed for us? With the unity of the two-"

"Itsuma, stop! Remember what Lady Yumena said?" Daisuke's tone was frantic.

_He's so young_..._probably younger than Tomoki_. "How old are you, kid?" Kouichi asked, walking over to Daisuke. "And why are you two here in this?"

Daisuke sent a hesitant glance to his brother. Itsuma nodded in approval and the boy murmured, "I'm ten."

Kouichi's gaze hardened. "Why are you two here?" he repeated. He was getting slightly annoyed that the facts weren't coming out as smooth as he wanted them to.

Itsuma pushed his sleeve up and glanced at his watch. "We'll explain on the way. We need to start getting you over to the main hall."

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The three boys were silent for the first half of the walk. It was when they passed a kitchen that Itsuma murmured, "Yume ran away. Baku found her and took her in. That was slightly before this all started, I think. I don't really know much about Yume's family, but she has a picture of them in her room. She hides it though, after the last time I snuck a look at it. Arata, Daisuke and I came in about last year. For some reason, Arata just went completely paranoid a few months ago. He just wouldn't do anything. So we resorted to our back up plan. He's a coward like-HEY!"

Kouichi lost his temper, although he hadn't intended to. Angrily, he grabbed Itsuma by the collar with both hands and slammed him against the wall nearby. "So you resorted to an attempt to murder his mother?" he snapped in a disgusted voice.

Itsuma shook his head. "You've got it all wrong," he said hastily, bringing his hands up in defense. "We don't murder people. That's not our wing. Baku has other people for that." He let out a relieved sigh when Kouichi released him. "What's your deal, anyway? It wouldn't matter if she lived or died." The boy smoothed down his ruffled clothes.

Kouichi wanted to wake up. He wanted to stop dreaming. He wanted to pinch himself so hard he'd bleed to death. "Is that...what you think of your own mother?" he whispered. It hurt that they couldn't understand. And yet, he couldn't say anything. It wasn't like he knew anything about them or vice versa.

They fell quiet again, but the tension in the air was suffocating. Finally Daisuke, eyes hidden behind his bangs, asked, "What's it like to have a mom?"

It was that innocent question that brought Kouichi back to his senses. For the first time in a long time, a true, unhidden smile, formed on Kouichi's lips. Sighing, he murmured, "You know, a kid owes a lot to their parents. It just so happens that mothers deserve more credit. At least, mine does. But...she died a year ago. What happened to your mother?" he asked softly. It was strange, but he felt he could connect to the two, despite the fact that he hated the fact that they came into whatever Yumena had called it -Baku's World- willingly. Daisuke, especially. The younger boy reminded Kouichi a lot of his first impression of Tomoki back in the Digital World.

Daisuke looked a lot younger than Kouichi had initially realized. "Mom died when I was little. Dad's drunk...and-"

"Dai, we're here," Itsuma said loudly.

Uncomfortably, Kouichi murmured an apology to both boys before walking into the room.

"Welcome, Kouichi. I take it, though, you won't be staying with us? What with your...familial ties..."

Kouichi froze. The voice was cold and forbidding. _Baku_? Glaring fiercely, Kouichi looked up, mouth open and ready for a retort. A middle-aged man met his eyes with a smirk on his lips. Kouichi shut his mouth and opened it again to ask, "So what'll you do about it? And who are you?" It couldn't be Baku, but he had to keep on his guard, nevertheless.

The man smiled, but there was an aura that told Kouichi there was more to him. "Heima, advisor to Baku himself as well as tutor to our dear Yumena. As for what I could do about it...well, possibly kill them..." He waited for the angry response of Kouichi.

The boy was on his toes, fists clenched. He was ready to lunge at Heima and rip his throat out, but for some reason, Kouichi urged himself to exercise control. Violently stomping his foot down, he snapped, "Kill them? Pathetic. It would only prove you're a coward. Hurry up and get this over with. I have math homework to finish." It was a little white lie-he finished his homework at school. There was pure fire running through Kouichi's veins, and he couldn't do much to put it out. _He'll pay later_, the boy decided, memorizing Heima's face.

Chuckling, the advisor inclined his head. "Yumena."

Yumena walked in from the door to the right, gazing at Heima, then shooting a cold glare at Kouichi. "Itsuma, the cards," she said aloud.

"You turned them into cards? That's stupid," Kouichi muttered, folding his arms and leaning against the door behind him. "I mean, how overly used are cards? Why not marbles, or stones, or-"

"Shut up," Yumena snapped. "Pick a deck," she ordered as Itsuma came in through the door opposite that she had come in, pushing a large cart forward.

"Now, Yume, remember what we discussed earlier with Baku?" Heima murmured.

_They should have put them in marbles. Unoriginal morons…and wannabes_. Kouichi walked over and picked up a binder, flipping through. "Nope...nu-uh...hah, what crappy cards!" he laughed, tossing the binder to the floor (he did this quite reluctantly. Still, what can a person do when they're annoyed?). Itsuma stepped away, startled by this. A frown appeared on Kouichi's face as he turned to Heima. "I have to choose from a pile of crap?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yumena struggling to keep calm.

"Shall I get the other cards, Master Heima?" Itsuma suggested, bowing his head out of respect.

Heima chuckled, stepping back to take a seat in the chair behind him. "Indeed. Do not forget the last three."

"And the Dark One?"

"That would be wise."

Kouichi absentmindedly sorted through a few binders, taking out a few cards. _Doggymon looks annoying_. _Monodramon and Penguinmon_. _Heh, I could use these, too_. _A Cerberusmon_. _Dai has this_. Kouichi chose around twenty or so cards, throwing the binders to the floor as he finished. He could see Yumena flinch each time he took out a card or dropped a binder. Kouichi wasn't sure if being amused by that was necessarily healthy.

Itsuma came in rolling another cart just as Kouichi dropped the last binder to the floor with a loud thud. Heima chuckled as Kouichi began sorting through binders of the new cart, his eyes slowly widening. _Bokomon and Neemon_...! Furiously, Kouichi tore the cards out, silently panicking at no sign of Patamon, Salamon or Lopmon or any of the legendary Warriors' spirits. "How many cards can I take?" Kouichi asked. Masking the fear in his voice was harder than he expected.

"We limit it to fifty. How about we double it for you?" laughed Heima, obviously amused.

"Works for me," the boy muttered, taking out more cards from the binders. What was really minutes seemed like hours to Kouichi as he chose his cards wisely, sometimes having to put some cards back to get others. He finally sorted through all the binders and chose his one hundred cards, stacked neatly in his left hand. _Please tell me I made the right choices_. "Done."

Heima chuckled and Kouichi frowned. He didn't like not being able to understand what was going on. "Ah, are you sure you want to finish?" asked the advisor, playing with a loose string in the arm of his dark gray robe.

Angrily, Kouichi snapped, "What are you getting at?"

"Itsuma, the four," Yumena murmured.

Drawing a breath, Itsuma pulled a box out of his sleeve and handed it to Yumena, not meeting Kouichi's furious eyes. Smiling in a satisfactory manner, Yumena turned to Heima. "I can take it from here," she announced, a hand clenching around the box tightly.

"Very well..." Heima rose out of his seat and opened the door to the left of his seat, disappearing behind with a quiet click of the door.

Yumena turned to Itsuma. "Dismissed," she whispered softly. After a curt nod, Itsuma ran out, leaving Yumena alone with Kouichi. "You know," Yumena said, voice still soft, "Master Baku told me you took part in the Digital World escapade a few years back." She walked up to him, box in one hand. The other slowly placed itself on Kouichi's cheek. "And I'm sure you'd enjoy the company of friends."

Releasing an impatient sigh, Kouichi pushed the hand away. "I'm claustrophobic. Get back and speak in a language that I can preferably understand."

Yumena took a step back, brought the box in front of her, and opened it. Kouichi's eyes widened. A low growl escaped his throat as he attempted to grab the box out of her hands. Yumena shut the box and slipped it behind her back. "You know, Kouichi," she commented, "you have to summon one card for your initiation. Maybe if you're lucky, that card won't work and you can take at least one in the box."

Kouichi allowed himself to calm down. _I need to think instead of acting impulsively,_ he told himself again and again. The very first glance inside the box had startled him. Inside were Cherubimon, Ophanimon and Seraphimon. Kouichi guessed the other forms of the three angels were in there as well. He also caught sight of Duskmon above a stack of other cards.

"So, you have the angels and the legendary warriors. Bravo," he murmured, regaining his composure and acting completely uninterested. _Silence before the storm, I hope she realizes. Which card, which card...?_ He took a single card out of his deck and hid it from the girl's view. "Do show me how to summon, _Lady Yumena_," Kouichi declared with a mocking bow. He didn't bother to hide the smirk on his face. It was far too entertaining to miss Yumena's furious reaction.

"Just say the card's name," replied the girl somewhat irritably. She brought the box in front of her and took several steps back.

_Perfect. Gotcha, sucker._ "Doggymon!" Kouichi called out, bringing the card forward and revealing it with a smirk to Yumena. Her eyes widened. Placing the card on the top of the deck, Kouichi sneered, "Get me that box." As he commanded, the digimon ran over to Yumena on all fours, managed to snatch the box away and place it in Kouichi's hands.

Yumena took a step forward, fury radiating from her. "Kimura," she growled. Kouichi supposed she was trying to sound menacing. Her hands were clenched into fists by her sides.

At that, he laughed and opened the box. "A card for a card," he told her casually. _Duskmon will do, I suppose_, the boy thought. Kouichi took out Duskmon's card, shut the box, then took Doggymon's card from the deck, replacing it with Duskmon. Smiling, he pocketed his deck and brought the card up in front of Yumena, slowly and mercilessly tearing it in two and letting the ripped pieces float to the ground.

Letting out a strangled cry, Yumena rushed forward to pick up the torn card. Angrily she gazed up at Kouichi and then the Doggymon by his feet, who didn't seem to care that his card had been ripped. "You just _freed_ him," Yumena snapped, rising to her feet.

"Say, Doggymon, what do you wanna do?" Kouichi asked, turning to the golden-furred digimon who had begun to scratch his purple ears.

The answer was as Kouichi expected: "Fun!" the dog replied, jumping up and down with a mischievous grin on his face, "Fun and fun and fun and fun!"

A smirk appeared on Kouichi's face. He looked at Yumena and handed her the box, wishing he could just rip all of the cards that were in the mansion or castle or whatever they called their hideout. Aloud, he commanded, "Doggymon, you'll be staying here. Have as much fun as possible, and make sure no one gets into my room without my permission. And if they do, well...feel free to have _fun_." He could see Yumena flinch before him as she took the box in her own hands. "Now, where's the way out?"

"I'll be happy to show you out," spat the girl.

"I know you will."

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"In any case of needing to enter the mansion, you just go through the front door. Not that hard to remember, is it? No? Good," Yumena snapped. She opened the front door. After Kouichi walked out, she shoved a small, round item into his hands. "The device I just gave you is essential to summoning the digimon from the cards _outside_ of the mansion. Don't lose it. Now get _out_. You'll be reporting in tomorrow."

Kouichi snorted as she shut the door in his face. "Yes ma'am," he muttered sarcastically, covering the cool metal in his hands. _I really ought to find a loophole to this all_...

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It was a shorter walk than Kouichi expected. _So close. Kind of weird_, he thought, throwing open the door. "I'm home. Dinner ready?" he yelled, removing his soaking jacket. The rain hadn't let up the least bit since his little adventure, resulting in him becoming soaked even more.

There was a crash. Noting the fact that the sound came from the kitchen, Kouichi guessed Satomi dropped a plate. Time seemed to cease its function in the entire house. Kouichi was utterly confused. There was nothing wrong with being hungry, and yet they were making such a big deal over it. Shrugging, Kouichi walked into the kitchen and found three pairs of eyes on him. "Oh, you started without me?" He casually took a seat and stared at his brother. "Kouji," murmured Kouichi, "why do you have two plates?"

Kouji could only stare wide-eyed as his older twin reached across the table to grab the extra plate. Standing up and swallowing, the younger boy mumbled, "Er...I think Kouichi's lack of appetite transferred to me...I'm going to sleep now..."

"Did you finish your homework?" Kouichi asked, beginning to pile food on his plate absentmindedly.

Kouji nodded. Staring at the food, Kouji turned around and ran up the stairs. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Kouichi stared from his food to where his brother had run off. "Is he okay?" the boy asked his father.

Kousei stared at his son and dropped his fork in response.

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Hotaru stared at Kouji in amazement. "Sumi...is he okay?"

The other girl shrugged, a worried look on her face. "Kouji?" she called out softly.

"H-he ate...he did his homework...he actually watched TV, even if it was a documentary...Sumi...he _slept on time!_" Kouji uttered, eyes still wide in shock. Slowly, he grinned. "Takuya! Favor!"

A groan echoed through the halls. A reluctant Takuya slumped over and folded his arms. "What's so important that I had to get my foot stomped on by Izumi for?" the goggle boy mumbled, glaring at his friend.

"I need you to watch Kouichi for me. Examine any unusual behavior, yada yada..." A wide grin spread across Kouji's face. "And then you don't have to worry about doing the other thing I had in mind to pay me back."

"YES!" Takuya jumped up and cheered. "This was _totally_ worth getting my foot stomped on!"

It was only then that Takuya noticed the odd silence that met his cheer instead of the usual laughter and dismissals of him being a total idiot. He swallowed and froze. "She's behind me, huh?" he asked, voice nearly cracking from the nervous feeling that bubbled through him.

A horrified scream echoed throughout the school that morning mere seconds after Takuya turned around.

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"Mr. Kanbara, please remove your goggles. We've gone over this many times," Mr. Kanemaru said. The class erupted into sighs, having heard the same command every single day since the beginning of the school year now.

Grumbling, Takuya did so with great care, placing the goggles on the upper left corner of his desk. Mr. Kanemaru continued, "We have a new student. Although it's unusual, I expect _all_ of you to be on your best behavior." He paused as his eyes fell on a few people, then stopped on Kouichi. "Mr. Kimura, I suggest you pay attention. Yumena, would you come in?"

It only took a second for Kouichi to go from perfectly carefree to nearly choking. He fell out of his seat as the door opened, dropping his pencil in the process. Seething, he thought, _Good, an excuse to hide from her. Why couldn't she just stick with her damn tutor? Gotta be on my guard_...

Yumena walked in, a smirk on her face (it was a smirk to Kouichi; to everyone else, it was a smile). Mr. Kanemaru motioned to her. "Class, this is Yumena Imai. Yumena, you'll be sitting...in the seat behind Kouichi. Kimura! What are you doing?" Mr. Kanemaru asked sharply.

Kouichi, who had finally reached his pencil and crawled back under his desk, jumped with a start, hitting his head against the desk. Wincing and rubbing his head, he snapped, "Getting my pencil so I can _write_. Do you expect me to spit out my notes?" He didn't care of the repercussions he could face. He just didn't want _her_ to be in his class. _Why can't she bug Kouji? Oh, he has Sumi_, the boy realized. _Izumi apparently doesn't stop Takuya from drooling_. "Takuya, I think Izumi's ready to slap you again. What did you do this morning, anyway?" he asked the goggle boy in a whisper.

Quickly catching himself, Takuya turned to the front. In a whisper, he said, "First, I offered to help her carry her books, then I was about to kiss her and then Kouji called and she got annoyed, said something about how I was leading her on, stepped on my foot with her _heel_. I mean, of all days, she picked _today_ to wear high heels!"

The first boy rolled his eyes, tensing as Yumena walked past to her seat. "Kouichi," he heard her murmur in her acknowledgement. In response, he ignored her existence.

And so began a very vexing day at school.

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Kouichi walked towards his brother quickly, pushing aside slower people and eventually running to rid himself of the persistent girl behind him. "Kouji!" he called to his twin, barely skidding to a stop before the lockers. "No Taro girl yet? Hey, Sumi. I need you to help me, my dear and only younger twin brother whose name happens to be Kouji Minamoto. Get her off my back," Kouichi said in an almost desperate voice as he pointed to Yumena.

"If you introduce me, n-I mean, I was joking, Sumi!" Kouji blurted when Sumi's smile turned into an accusing glare. He turned to his brother and chuckled, "Why? Afraid of girls?"

"No, just _this_ one. I'll throw in a week's worth of allowance."

"DONE!" Kouji yelled immediately. "I needed to get my guitar fixed, anyway!" Before he could so much as say a word, another voice interfered.

"Hey, Itsuma, isn't that your girlfriend?"

Behind Kouichi, Yumena froze, whirling around with a look of pure disgust on her face. "Oh, great, _them_," she muttered.

Kouichi followed her eyes to the source. "ITSUMA?" he found himself yelling, pointing at the older boy. _HIM TOO?_

A surprised Itsuma looked around before waving at them somewhat awkwardly. "Uh...Yumena...and...Kouichi...what are you two doing here?" he asked, stiffly walking over.

Annoyance flooded through Kouichi. _It's bad enough with the people I know here, but now _them?_ Soon, I'll find that the entire school belongs to Baku_. He rolled his eyes and snapped, "I happen to go to school here, in case you haven't noticed. Say, why don't you show HER around, seeing as how she's your _girlfriend_?" As he made the suggestion, Kouichi pushed Yumena into Itsuma and waved. "Have fun." _Please, don't come back_.

Kouji and Sumi were having their own conversation about Kouichi as this was taking place.

"I'm telling you," Kouji insisted. "Aliens! It's gotta be aliens!"

Sumi hit the bandana boy upside the head. "Get a grip! If it's aliens, then I'm one of them, too!" she hissed.

"You could always let me ch-"

"PERVERT!"

Kouichi looked behind his shoulder to find Kouji cowering as Sumi held a math book up threateningly. Thoughtfully, he muttered, "And so it's proven that math _does_ kill. Congratulations on helping prove that, Kouji."

The younger boy scowled. "Now that you've gotten rid of her and aren't going to give me a week's worth of allowance, would you just _save_ me?" he snapped, holding his hands up to stop the weight of the book if it ever came.

Smiling slightly, Kouichi took the textbook out of Sumi's hands. Before he could say anything to Sumi, though, Hotaru walked over. "Oh, Taro girl. You'll be glad to know I'm not going to bug you anymore. No, instead, I have to draw u-" He stopped. The resemblance. _Of course! Duh, Taro girl looks like her!_ Looking around, he grabbed Hotaru's arm and dragged her around the corner, leaving a stunned Sumi and an even more surprised Kouji who thought better than to open his mouth at the moment.

"Hey," Kouichi whispered, letting go of Hotaru. "Do you have an evil sister or something?"

Hotaru opened her mouth, trying to say something. Instead, she shut her mouth and fixed her eyes into a glare. "What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

Kouichi shrugged. "Asking you a question?"

She fell into silence, her mouth opening and closing as she was trying to make a decision. Finally, the girl yelled, "No, I don't have a sister! Stop bugging me!" Hotaru pushed Kouichi back and stomped away.

Surprised, Kouichi staggered back, staring at Hotaru as she returned to Sumi and a laughing Kouji. _What's her deal_? He shook his head as a flood of worry threatened to overcome him. _Get a grip Kouichi. You? Worried about her? Hah, that's funny_, he told himself. But although Kouichi wouldn't admit it openly or to himself, he got the feeling that there was something else to worry about.

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Arata was shaking again. Kouichi guessed the boy couldn't help it, but it had started to become annoying. Of course it was mainly Yumena's fault. _Ah, _Yume_, remember, Kouichi?_ He smiled at the correction. He had remembered that Mr. Kanemaru had been corrected by her.

"_Yume's fine_," _Yumena told the man, sitting back in her seat_.

_At this point, Kouichi snorted_. "_Yume, or_ Queen _Yume_?"_ he joked_.

That of course resulted in Mr. Kanemaru going on another lengthy tirade, one which, as usual, Kouichi ignored. And all the while during class, Takuya made note of even the slightest behavior (which hadn't gone unnoticed by Kouichi, as he was only a seat away from the goggle boy). By five minutes before the end of class, he had filled five papers back and forth, top to bottom in writing. Even the margins were written in.

"Why don't you stop taking notes on Kouichi and actually _help_ with this worksheet?" Izumi snapped. Since that morning, she hadn't felt like talking to Takuya in a civilized manner at all.

Absentmindedly, Takuya put away his papers and tried focusing his attention on the worksheet. But for some reason, his attention was captured by Kouichi. There was something more going on, and Takuya wanted to know what it was.

Kouichi sighed. "Would you stop glaring at him? That might help, stupid," he snapped at Yume, sending a glare in her direction.

The girl rolled her eyes. Sarcastically, she replied, "Yes, oh dear knight."

"Shut up. You're worse than Taro girl and you're getting on my nerves. I don't know, I just might spill a lot of facts right now," Kouichi commented, turning the worksheet to Arata. "Here. Work on this problem," he instructed the boy, hoping it would cease his shakings.

It didn't. Yume snatched the paper away. "I think you two have _no_ idea what you're doing," she replied hotly. "And do _not_ compare me to _her_."

Kouichi placed a hand on the paper and slid it towards him. "I just did."

Smirking, Yume took the paper back, eyes widening slightly when Kouichi grabbed the other end. She tugged gently at first. Her eyes widened a bit more out of surprise that he wouldn't let go. "What are you doing?" the girl hissed. "You're going to rip it!"

"I don't care." There was no emotion that could be found on his face. "Now," Kouichi murmured smoothly when Yume let go of the paper, "Arata, work on the problem. We've got a minute."

Takuya leaned on the desk slightly, careful not to apply all his weight. "That's weird," he muttered, a frown on his face. Kouichi had always been one to do all the work, not trusting anyone else for fear they would deal damage to his grade. In the end, it resulted in most of his group members flunking the individual assessment if they didn't cooperate. But here Kouichi was, actually letting someone else work on the assignment.

"Takuya! You haven't done a _single_ problem!" Izumi snapped, shoving the paper in his direction. "Would you at least do _one?_"

Grinning, Takuya accepted the paper. "Sure, Izumi," he replied sheepishly.

---------------------------------------------

A/N-

I know. It sounds stupid, I guess. Bear with me? The idea's pretty good if you stick around for the entire thing. I'll spend more time editing next time, promise. Reason for icky-ish chapter would be the horrid amount of homework and sudden computer problems. Our main computer went KABOOM, and my dad's laptop is icky, and the Imac is…only used for first drafts.

Yeah! So…gomengomengomen! I'll try to review this and post Chapter 5 up ASAP. Taking APUSH was a bigigi mistake. Yes, bigigi. I need to stop being so…so…competitive.


	5. Adaptations

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Adaptation

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Kouichi slammed his locker shut. _Will she get lost anytime soon?_ Gritting his teeth angrily, he turned around to face Yumena. "And _when_ will _you_ be _leaving_?" he demanded, wishing more than anything that she wasn't a girl.

She was smiling as sweet as a honey's bee, but all Kouichi saw was the venom of the sting. Closing the distance in between them, Yume whispered, "You know you'll pay for that."

"Ouch. Listen, I know I'm hot and all, but give me some room, would you? One fan at a time, please," Kouichi said aloud, waving the girl away before returning his attention to his locker, which he realized contained a certain math book he needed.

Yume slammed the locker beside him with her palm. He still didn't pay her any attention. Instead, Kouichi turned to the side to find his brother.

"Kouji, where's Taro girl?" Kouichi demanded, staring at his brother with a blank look on his face.

Startled, Kouji looked up. "Huh?"

"Taro girl."

"Hotaru?"

"Yeah. Where's Taro girl?"

"Um...I think she's dragging Sumi over to her house," the younger twin mumbled, obviously trying to piece something together. "Right now they're in the classroom, I think. Why?" Brother stared at brother, leaning forward somewhat, as if the answer would come easier if he did.

Kouichi just pushed Kouji out of the way. "Okay, great. Thanks. I'll catch you later." Quickly, he walked towards Hotaru's classroom for all his legs were worth. If all went well, Kouji would be blurting out nonsense in a few seconds. Just to make sure it would happen, Kouichi broke into a run, attempting to whistle, but failing due to the laughter that tried to bubble out.

"WAIT! You aren't seriously going to ask her out, are you?" Kouji yelled, racing after his brother. "What I said before was a joke!"

From his hiding place behind a row of lockers, Kouichi could clearly see (despite the fact that he was covering Kouji's mouth and forcing the bandana boy to hide as well) the look of annoyance on Yume's face.

---------------------------------------------

He made sure to wait well after Yume had left before he even dared to go off school grounds. It suddenly occurred to him that Yumena had mentioned something about a meeting the day before, and so Kouichi was stuck with a predicament.

_Yeah, way to go_, he thought to himself. _You forgot the weird disc thing and the crap cards_. Scowling inwardly, Kouichi opened his math book, revealing Duskmon's card. The digimon looked as dark as ever, and Kouichi felt a shudder run down his spine. The math book shut quickly in his hands. _Yep_. _Every stinking card_, _save the scariest of them all_.

The walk to the mansion (or prison, as he liked to call it) was shorter than he liked. _Damn girl and her girly-ness_, Kouichi thought disgustedly, kicking at the door. "Hey, open up!"

"Uh...Kouichi..."

"Yeah, whaddya wa-" Kouichi stopped and turned around in surprise. His eyes widened for a mere second before he snorted and turned back around. "What do you want?" he mumbled, not really caring.

Itsuma stared at him hesitantly. "You know, you _could_ just twist the doorknob to open the door, right...?" the older boy asked.

He went stiff. Kouichi reached out for the doorknob, making sure Itsuma couldn't see his face as he reddened slightly. "I...I knew that," he snapped, throwing the door open and walking in.

Smiling slightly, Itsuma walked in behind Kouichi and shut the door. "The only reason Baku's so loose about security is because there's nothing anyone could really steal. Plus, all the special rooms are off limits even to some members," he explained. "That's where keycards come into play."

_Keycards_. _Got it_. As he placed his books and his backpack down beside Itsuma's, Kouichi took a mental note of this, storing it away as he caught sight of familiar golden fur. A small grin appeared on his lips. "Doggymon," he called out, waving the digimon over.

The dog ran full speed at Kouichi, then leaped onto him, knocking the boy backward onto the floor. "Fun, fun, fun!"

"A...Doggymon?" Itsuma asked in confusion. "Why not another digimon?"

Kouichi just rolled his eyes. "As long as I can irk the enemy, I'm happy. And as the enemy is Yumena, that's easy." He grinned as he turned back to the digimon, scratching him behind the ears. "So, anyone try to break into my room?" he asked.

"The weird girl!" Doggymon answered, standing up on his hind legs and doing a sort of dance.

Itsuma twitched. "Of all the digimon..._Doggymon_ is the most annoying. That's why Dai traded him in for a Cerberusmon."

"Go pick on your own digimon," Kouichi scowled, rising to his feet and looking down at Doggymon. "So Ms. Queen-of-the-World tried sneaking into my room?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Doggymon stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes around. He stopped, not seeing Kouichi laugh, then stared up at the boy to await a new order.

Ignoring Doggymon and Itsuma, Kouichi continued to the large door. "Say...Itsuma," he called out. "This leads to the big labyrinth, right?" Kouichi turned his head around, awaiting his answer impatiently.

"Uh...yeah..."

"Good. Doggymon, let's go," Kouichi said, pushing the doors open and walking through. _Yume in my room_..._disgusting_. _Maybe I should have another digimon guard my room instead_, he thought, navigating his way through the corridors with the help of Doggymon. They eventually stopped in front of Kouichi's room, which he could distinguish easily with the nameplate on it and the many scratches that existed on the very bottom. _A true dog to the end_. "We need to get you a doggy door," Kouichi joked, hand on the doorknob.

Without another word, Kouichi threw the door open, gaping at the room in a wide-eyed wonder. "What the..._digimon_ is this?" he demanded, storming into the room and frowning at the bed, which held several musty looking blankets and various other items. "What if I decide to sleep here today? I'll have allergies for life! You don't put...put this _junk_ on a bed! Beds are for sleeping! What idiot can-ew...it's you." Kouichi cut his rant short and snorted, seeing a sour-faced Yumena come out of the bathroom, gloves on her hands.

"Just _shut up_," Yumena snapped, tugging on the top blanket of the bed. She yanked it towards her, sending everything that had been lying on it flying forward. "I'm no _maid_. Stupid Heima..."

Kouichi just snickered, picking up one of the fallen items. "Cards? More cards? Oh...is this some sort of card case?" he asked, examining a small metal item in his hand with a slot along the side.

"Remember the disc I gave you before you left?"

"Uh..."

"Stupid!" she shrieked. "That's _it_! No meeting today!" Angrily, she threw the blanket down and stormed towards the door. "Hawkmon," she yelled, pulling out a card. "Go inform Heima that I'm _done_." After seeing the bird digimon fly out of the room, Yume picked up the metal item and several cards from the group, then proceeded past Kouichi and Doggymon, chin lifted up in the air. She may have been trying to act her position, but...

Kouichi thought she couldn't look any snobbier. And of course, he _did_ detest snobby people.

Effortlessly, he caught her wrist, not even turning as he heard the rushed footsteps and groans of Itsuma and Daisuke. "Hold it," Kouichi muttered as she stared at him in shock. "I think you ought to clean up your mess here." The tight-lipped girl remained silent, glaring at him with all her fury. Kouichi ignored the glare easily and continued, "Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's not polite to make a mess in someone else's house?"

"Shut up and _let me go_!" Yumena suddenly snapped, struggling to remove her wrist from Kouichi's grip. "Just wait until I-"

"You _what_?" Kouichi sneered, twisting her arm and forcing her to turn around so she wouldn't be able to yank free. "Piece of advice: don't come into my room with a mess unless you plan to clean before leaving. In other words..." His eyes narrowed on her as she cried out in pain. Roughly, he pushed her towards Itsuma (Daisuke jumped out of the way) and let go of her wrist, no remorse of any kind evident on his face. "Stay out of my room."

Itsuma, red-faced at the sudden contact with Yume, gazed at Kouichi in a mix of confusion and annoyance. "Don't tell me you hit girls..."

Snorting, Kouichi shook his head. "One, I didn't hit..._her_. Two, that's _no_ girl in your arms. That's a monster," the boy murmured, picking up the fallen items he deemed, 'junk.' He raised his head up to watch as Itsuma accompanied Yume out, then grinned sheepishly at Daisuke, who had apparently made friends with Doggymon. "Well," Kouichi murmured, dropping the 'junk' aside. "You two seem to be hitting it off well."

Daisuke laughed as Doggymon proceeded to lick his face relentlessly. "I used to have a Doggymon card," the boy murmured, "but Daddy and Itsuma would always get annoyed, because I kept him out of his card. So Itsuma had me trade him for a Cerberusmon. Sure, he's a dog, but...normal kids don't have three-headed man-eating dogs." Daisuke stood up and gazed at Kouichi. "Right?"

"Unless a sibling counts," Kouichi joked with a smile. _Yeesh_..._or a classmate_. _Taro girl's being vicious all of the sudden now that I think about it_..._never had the guts to attempt to trip me in the hall even once before_. _But now_..._five times?_ Kouichi shook his head, realizing Daisuke was still there. "Tell you what: you can hang out in my room with Doggymon whenever you want, as long as you've got your homework done. Deal?" Kouichi put on his most stern face and folded his arms across his chest.

Daisuke was silent for a while, obviously contemplating the details. "Well...can I _do_ my homework in your room?"

"_No_ asking Doggymon for help..._or_ to eat your homework, for that matter."

"Deal!" the boy laughed.

Kouichi hid a smile of his own as he stepped forward and ruffled Daisuke's hair. "Deal," he murmured. "You heard, Doggymon. You can let Daisuke in, but no 'fun' until he finished his homework. Got it?"

The dog jumped at Kouichi, causing the older boy to stumble back onto the bed. Jumping up and down in front of Kouichi's feet, Doggymon exclaimed, "Got it! Fun after homework!" After panting some, the dog scratched behind his ears as he asked, "What's homework?"

"Oh! Could I show him, Kouichi?" Daisuke asked, running up behind the digimon. Kouichi nodded, watching silently as both raced out of his room to find Daisuke's backpack.

With a sigh, Kouichi fell back onto his bed. "I really...need a new room guard," he muttered, shutting his eyes. _But first_, _a nap_.

---------------------------------------------

"_I just wanna know when you'll be sober again_," _the boy asked_.

_His father snorted, and instead of answering, downed another bottle_. _Furious_, _the boy snatched the next bottle away before the man could do anything about it_. "_What kind of father _are _you_? _Daisuke's wanted to come home all week, and you_..._you're a slobbering _drunk!"

"_Give me back the bottle_." _He was serious, his eyes held a dangerous glint in them_.

"_Forget it_."

"_Little brat_..._you'll regret that!_"

Kouichi groaned and turned over. _No_..._not again_..._NO!_ His eyes widened, snapping him out of his comatose state. "Mom," he gasped, sitting up. _Mom_..._what do I do?_

"Uh...are you okay, Kouichi?"

Startled, the boy turned his head right and left, trying to locate the speaker. He spotted Daisuke and Doggymon, sitting by the door with Daisuke's homework in front of them. With a sigh, Kouichi hauled himself out of bed. "Don't sit on the floor and do your work. It's bad for your back, and I haven't cleaned the floor yet," he murmured, helping the younger boy to his feet. "Go over to that table. You can put that junk on the floor."

"But that guy put your stuff there!"

Kouichi frowned. _My stuff?_ Curiously, he walked over to the small table beside his bed, discovering his math book on the table and his backpack on the chair, sitting on top of another pile of his textbooks. Turning pale, Kouichi flipped open the math book quickly, jumping back a split second later. A sigh of relief escaped him when nothing happened. Self-assured, Kouichi turned to Daisuke with a small smile. "Sure it wasn't Heima?"

Daisuke shook his head. "Nope. Heima...saw him. I think he knew who it was, but he walked off in the opposite direction really quick, so I couldn't ask him."

The cold chill of terror caught hold of Kouichi once more, constricting his throat painfully. "Are you...do...what did he look like?" he inquired, trying not to sound too harsh or too curious.

Shaking his head again, Daisuke told the older boy, "I couldn't see him because he was in the shadows. And Doggymon..." Daisuke trailed off and frowned as the golden-furred digimon whimpered and crawled behind him.

_Duskmon? No_..._it couldn't be_..._could it?_ "S-say, Daisuke," Kouichi tried again, "Could...let's say in this example...could Arata summon your Cerberusmon?"

Daisuke shook his head and gazed at Kouichi with a childish curiosity. "Yume told me once that once you summon a card on your reader, it's yours forever unless Baku takes it away from you. Then he does something special, and the card isn't yours unless you summon it again." He gazed at the ground. "That's what happened to my Doggymon."

He let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding back. _Good to know_, Kouichi thought to himself, walking forward and slamming the math book shut. _I better summon all of my cards soon, then_. Carefully, he placed the book on the floor with the rest of his books and bag. "Here, Daisuke."

"Are you sure? But don't _you_ have homework? Itsuma always has lots of homework," Daisuke told him, looking guilty as Doggymon nudged him into the chair, obviously understanding Kouichi wanted him to do so. But Kouichi just laughed.

"Listen, Daisuke, I'm not Kimura Kouichi for no reason. I'll be fine. Work away. Besides, I can get creative." Kouichi stopped and watched for a while, seeing Daisuke absorbed in his homework while Daisuke was making a bed out of the blanket Yumena hadn't picked up. _Might as well get started,_ he realized, rolling up the blankets Yumena had kept on his bed. "Alrighty," Kouichi muttered, "What to do with these...?"

---------------------------------------------

Two hours and eighteen minutes later, Kouichi let out a curse as he nearly hammered a nail through his thumb. He sat back with a sigh, gazing at the door with an eyebrow raised. Folding his arms, he remarked, "Digimon, this entire doggy door thing is harder than it looks. Hope Dad doesn't mind me borrowing the wood..." _More like wasting wood_.

A tired mumble interrupted him from his work. Kouichi placed everything in his hands down and walked over to Daisuke. _Don't tell me you're heavy_, he thought, reaching down to pick the boy up and place him on the bed. Kouichi nearly dropped him down in surprise. _He's so light_.

Kouichi walked back to the door, starting on the doggy door once more. "This room needs a lot more," he muttered, holding the nail tightly and angling himself to make it easier to hammer the nail in. _I've cleaned the floors, the bathroom, _and_ washed the sheets, but just _how_ the hell do I install a kitchen?_ _As if making Doggymon's bed and whatnot wasn't hard enough_. _And I still need to paint the place, too_...

While Kouichi was hammering away, hesitant footsteps approached his door. The owner of the feet knocked on the wall beside the doorway. "Uh...exactly what are you doing...Kouichi?"

"Oh, Itsuma," Kouichi murmured, recognizing the voice. Scooting aside, he pulled the door open. "Daisuke's asleep."

"What are you doing to your room?" Itsuma asked, a look of horror crossing his face. "It's-"

"Interior decoration prior to this was boring. I decided to spruce things up...make this place a bit more...efficient." Still squatting, Kouichi hopped over to the door after Itsuma decided to wander inside. "Have you ever made a doggy door?" he asked.

Itsuma turned around and looked down at Kouichi, a strange look on his face. "A 'doggy door'?"

"Yeah." Kouichi waved to the door. "You know, the flaps on the door that the dogs run through. And I need to install a lot and a kitchen. The bathroom needs a bit more cleaning, too, now that I think about it. Seriously, what kind of maintenance do you guys have here?" Kouichi snorted before he continued nailing in another board.

Observing Kouichi's work, Itsuma frowned. "You know," he commented, squatting down beside Kouichi. Pointing to the top of the square of nothingness in the door, Itsuma told him, "You could just drill a door bolt thing here and attach the wood to it instead of making the border."

"Oh, I know that. The border makes it look nice."

"Ahh. High standards?"

"Yep."

"_Very_ nice."

"_What do you two think you're doing?_" The icy voice was easy to recognize. Kouichi looked up and waved, hammer in hand. "Well?" Yume snapped.

"Doggymon needs a doggy door."

Itsuma snorted. "We're so technical with the terms. Say, you going to paint the place later?"

"Of course!"

"Holy digimon. Well, in that case, ask Dai for colors. He's great with 'em."

"Itsuma!" Yumena barked. "What are you doing?"

Itsuma, who had planned to continue, shut his mouth and stood up quickly. "Uh..."

Yumena pushed him out of the way. Her eyes fell on the unconscious form of Daisuke on the bed. "And why is Daisuke sleeping? And-that..._thing_ _has its own bed?_" Furiously, Yumena stormed over to Daisuke and yanked on his arm. "Why am I in charge of a bunch of _imbeciles_?" she snapped. "Daisuke!"

Helplessly, Itsuma turned to Kouichi, hoping he would make one of his sharp-tongued comments, but the younger boy was too preoccupied with hammering the nails into the 'doggy door.' Instead, Itsuma turned to Yumena and murmured, "Just let him alone. He's still a kid-"

"Ten year-olds don't need naps," Yumena returned rudely, throwing Daisuke's hand down and storming towards the door. "Get him up. We've got a meeting in five with Heima." As Yumena started out of the room, she let out a scream, tripping over the hammer Kouichi had conveniently placed in her path while he examined his handiwork a bit too obviously (sound effects included). "Kimura! I'll see you there, too!"

Kouichi rose to his feet, digging his hands in his pockets and yawning as he looked over his shoulder at Yumena. "Nope. Sorry, I've got homework. Oh, but don't worry. I still have a lot more business to take of here, so I'll be back someday. Now shoo, shoo, or do you need an escort? I'm sure Doggymon would _love_ to see you out."

Shrieking, Yumena stormed off. Kouichi chuckled to himself as he picked up the hammer as well as the unused (and badly misshapen) nails. He walked over to the toolbox and sorted through it, returning each item to its respective spot as he did. _Hope Dad doesn't look through the nails_. "How's your arm, Daisuke?" Kouichi asked in a casual manner as he shut the toolbox.

Daisuke sat up, clutching his left arm. "I-it's not that bad," he murmured, getting out of bed. "Lady Yume's just...um...stressed."

_In that case, she's always stressed_. "Yeah, yeah..." Kouichi motioned for the young boy to show him the injured arm. "No nails, right? Girl nails are vicious. If I remember correctly, Taro girl tried scratching me a few times, too. What is it with these girls. I thought the _Umi's_ were bad enough..."

Daisuke giggled. "Nope, no nails!" he announced happily. Then, after a pause, he asked in a whisper, "Can I give you some advice?"

"Shoot away."

"Pink better names. 'Umi's sounds weird," Daisuke declared in a matter-of-fact tone.

Kouichi snorted, lightly hitting the boy's arm. "Izumi, Sumi..._Umi_. It works for me," he declared aloud. Then, in a mutter: "No matter _how_ lame it is."

Itsuma watched as his younger brother burst out into laughter, falling back on the bed and clutching his stomach. And, very faintly, he could make out a smile on Kouichi's face. Feeling slightly awkward to break the mood, Itsuma rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh...Daisuke...get your things."

The laughter stopped. Daisuke sat up immediately and nodded quietly, all traces of a smile vanishing from his lips.

"Listen, Kouichi...if it isn't too much trouble..." Itsuma sighed and gazed at the floor, unable to bring himself to say the words.

Kouichi cut in before Itsuma had the chance to say anymore. "You want me to take Daisuke to my house. Done. But...only if you stay here. Don't go home. I don't want to play hero more than necessary."

"How-"

"Your dad's drunk again. You know, you should really break him out of the habit when he's sober."

Itsuma tried again, "But-"

"Shut up. Go to that meeting and make the dear Queen Yume pay, would you? I've got a few connections, so Daisuke'll be fine." Kouichi turned and smiled at the younger boy. "Ready?"

"Yup! Can we take Doggymon...?" Daisuke asked.

Itsuma frowned. "Dai-"

A hand silenced him. "Go. You're going to be late," Kouichi snapped. He waited until Itsuma, although tentatively and excruciatingly slow, finally turned and ran out of the door to where ever Kouichi guessed the meeting was held. Grinning, Kouichi turned to Daisuke.

"How much do you think you can carry?"

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A/N-

So many more chapters to type up. I've written well past chapter eleven. If I can just type them up, I can keep to the update deadlines (speaking of which I am sorry for the late post!), but I'm already failing to do so. Multitasking on stories is like multitasking on videogames.

Wada Kouji returns to Digimon with Hirari! Hah! I always knew he would! (It's a lie. I was worried he got abducted by aliens).

Thank you, everyone who reviewed! I'm much obliged. If there's anything you'd like me to do, ask! I've also decided to go against deleting this story for several reasons. I'm not sure how many people actually read it, and I honestly don't care. If you enjoy it, and if you smile, I shall be happy! If only _one_ person enjoys it, I will _still_ be happy. I will do my best!

Please review, PM, or flame!


	6. Morphing

Disclaimer-Unfortunately, I don't own Digimon. Otherwise, it would be an entirely different story, and it would be ten times easier to write fanfics for it.

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Morphing

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"You're _kidding_." Kouji stared, jaw hanging barely above the ground as Kouichi ran around his room, cleaning up. "All of the sudden, you're bringing in strays. The hell is this about?"

"Hey, Daisuke's no stray. Daisuke's the younger brother I never had," Kouichi corrected his twin.

"THEN WHAT AM I?"

Kouichi walked out of his room and quickly descended the stairs. "Dai, the bed's ready for you and D-um...your dog," Kouichi said, catching himself before he said too much.

Daisuke ran towards Kouichi, Doggymon behind him on all fours. "Um, Kouichi...then...if I'm taking your room, where are you going to sleep?" the boy asked.

_Shoot_, Kouichi thought, realizing he had been caught. A thought struck him, noticing his brother behind him.

"Wow...you trust him without a leash?" Kouji asked, raising an eyebrow at Doggymon.

Grinning, Kouichi pointed to his brother. "See this guy?" he asked Daisuke. "This is my younger-" -a pause- "uh..." _Inferior_, Kouichi told himself with a smile, "twin brother. Kouji. I can invade his room any time I want."

"Wow. Itsuma never lets me do that." Daisuke gazed at Kouji, suddenly becoming puzzled. "But wait! Where's _he_ going to sleep?" the boy cried.

_I'm liking this kid_, Kouji thought, however surprised. Beside him, Kouichi snorted. "Who? Kouji? He can take the couch. He sleeps there anyway. I might as well not let his room go to waste, you know?"

"HEY! Uh-" Kouji fell silent immediately, noticing the faint smile on his brother's face. Clearing his throat, the bandana boy nodded. "Yeah. I live on the couch."

"Really? Could I visit sometime?" Daisuke asked, obviously intrigued by the prospect.

Taken aback, Kouji looked to his brother for help. Instead, Kouichi led the younger boy (meaning Daisuke, of course) up the stairs. "Come on. We've got a few rules to go over."

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Kouji stared at the stacks of paper in front of him. "I don't get it," he confessed to the goggle boy. "It just...still...doesn't make sense! What do you think, Tomoki?" He looked to the older boy, hoping for an opinion.

"I think you better let me sleep! Do you have any idea how late I was up just to study?" the lower classman scowled, swatting aside the paper Kouji stuck in front of his face.

The bandana boy turned to Sumi. "_You_ agree with me, don't you?" he asked, sounding hopeful as he scooted up beside the girl. "Come on, Sumi, tell me-"

"That you're insane?" Sumi inquired, one eyebrow raised. With a sigh, she told him, "Come off it. I think you should be happy he's coming out of his shell. It's about time..."

"But it's not...it's...it's _different_," Kouji insisted. "That kid-_Daisuke_, or whatever! Kouichi's being _nice_ to him!"

Sumi shrugged. "Kouichi's nice to me," she countered.

"He isn't nice to Hotaru."

_Your fault_. "Hotaru isn't a kid."

"I'm right here you know. Go talk about me somewhere else!" Hotaru snapped. Her grip tightened on the small plastic cup in her hand as she brought it to her lips and took a sip.

Sumi just shrugged. The bandana boy was the one who set her off as he snickered, "Someone has Kouichi's old temper."

"_Don't_ compare me to him!" yelled Hotaru. The cup in her hand, pressured by her relentless grip, fell into pieces before their eyes. "That jerk is just..."

Quickly, Sumi slapped her friend's hand, causing Hotaru to drop the plastic shards she had been tightening her grip on. "Calm down," Sumi murmured with the intention of mollifying the girl. "What's with you?"

Hotaru rose to her feet without a word and slowly trudged off, leaving her lunch behind.

"I suppose if I said 'I didn't do it,' it would be a lie?" Kouichi asked, appearing from behind the trees. "Yeesh, what did I do to her?" He scratched the back of his head, cluelessly staring at Hotaru's retreating form.

Kouji narrowed suspicious eyes on his brother. "I dunno," the younger twin murmured, "What _did_ you do?"

Silence befell the friends, while both twins exchanged suspicious glares. Unable to stand another second of intense gazing, Kouji retreated, covering his eyes with his hands and croaking, "Too...much...staring. Face...must...go!"

"Let me try," Takuya muttered, putting on a mean face as he pushed Kouji out of the way.

Kouichi rose an eyebrow.

Eyes wide, the goggle boy turned away. "Yeah. He's good."

"You two didn't look him in the eye for any more than ten seconds! Especially you, _Tacky_," Tomoki declared, cracking one eye open. "Honestly, I need to start hanging out with people my age. I might get stupid if I stay with all of you. And the whole idea is that I'm supposed to get _smarter_ because you guys are _older_."

A chorus of angry people shouting, "What was that?" met Tomoki's ears before he found himself pinned to a tree, laughing as his friends tickled him.

Kouichi, on the other hand, a small smile evident on his lips, took the opportunity to vanish.

---------------------------------------------

Kouichi arrived home later than he usually would have on a normal day, but his days were hardly normal now (if they ever were before). He had left almost immediately to get Daisuke, not wanting the boy to walk himself (it was more out of safety than trust). Daisuke was now behind him, thrilled that Kouichi had brought Doggymon along.

A thought entered Kouichi's head, and he couldn't help but ask, "So...Daisuke, is there a pipsqueak named Shinya in your class?" As he said this, Kouichi found his eyes glued to the unmistakable figure of his vexed-looking friend across the street, the goggle boy, who stood beside his younger brother, scowls on both their faces. _Yeah, must be another one of _those _fights_.

"I...don't pay too much attention to my classmates," Daisuke confessed in a murmur. "They...um..."

Seeming to comprehend the situation, Kouichi nodded. "Got it." _Time to talk to Shinya_. "Alright, Doggymon, can you take Daisuke home the rest of the way?" When the digimon stopped and nodded, Kouichi turned to Daisuke. "If someone decides to bug you, don't use the cards _unless_ they're my age or older. Use Doggymon, got it?"

The young boy gave a curt nod and dashed after Doggymon. "Bye, Kouichi!" he called out as he left. "See you at your house!"

Kouichi smiled and turned around, proceeding to follow Takuya. _Yeah...but you might see _Shinya_ first_.

---------------------------------------------

"Dai...suki...?"

"_DAISUKE_," Kouichi corrected for the twenty-third time that hour.

"Daisuke," Shinya repeated. "That real quiet _nerdy_ kid?"

Kouichi rose an eyebrow. "Sorry, Takuya. Shinya doesn't look cute anymore. Can I beat him up?"

"About _time_ someone noticed. I still get first dibs, though," the goggle boy snapped, glaring at his brother. "You know, with a crappy attitude like that, there's no _way_ you'll _ever_ earn my goggles!"

The younger Kanbara frowned. "But that's what everyone says about him!" he insisted.

Kouichi just watched wordlessly as Takuya began yanking on Shinya's left ear mercilessly. "That's _no_ excuse! A leader-a _goggle_ boy-must develop his own opinions!" the older boy snapped.

"Hey, I've got one right now!"

"Good!" Takuya let go of his brother's ear.

Sticking out his tongue at Takuya, Shinya declared, "You pull like a sissy!"

"Brat!"

"Moron!"

"Incompetent!"

"MOM, TAKUYA CALLED ME INCOMPETENT!"

"HELLO?" Kouichi snapped, resisting the urge to kick either of them. "Listen, whether you like it or not, goggle boy in training, you're going to talk to Daisuke, even if I've got to skip school tomorrow and spy on you. Got it?" When Shinya nodded meekly, Kouichi rose to his feet. "Good. Because I can't keep walking the kid to school every day. I'll always be late for class." _That aside, he needs friends, and Shinya's the perfect magnet to use_.

"Takuya! Tell Shinya to get his junk out of my room!"

The goggle boy sent a glance in the direction of Shinya. An eyebrow raised, he repeated aloud, "Junk?"

At this point, Shinya quickly edged over to hide behind the armchair Kouichi was sitting on. With a sigh, Kouichi stood up. "Sumi, he's behind the armchair," he informed the girl, staring down at Shinya.

Sumi stormed into the room, pillow in hand. Kouichi stepped aside just in time to avoid the pillow that was thrown at Shinya. The airborne item hit its target. "Morons."

"Dersh only one uh me," Shinya slurred, falling forward onto the pillow.

"I meant all _three_ of you. Takuya, stop hiring Shinya to look through my diary. And Kouichi..." Sumi glared at him mercilessly. "_Stop_ bothering _Hotaru_."

Kouichi's jaw dropped. "I'm _not_," he insisted. "I haven't talked to her since she yelled at me!" _Even though it would have been nice to annoy her_...

"Augh...you...you _boys_!" she shouted, storming back from where she came.

"_I didn't do anything!_" Kouichi yelled after her.

_Kouji's right_, Takuya observed with a frown, _Kouichi's really different_. "Hey, Shinya...get over here." _Maybe it's because of that kid_. "Listen. I'll give you 500 yen if-"

Scratching the back of his head, Shinya let out a heavy sigh. "I dunno...Sumi said to stop bribing me..." He trailed off and gazed up at his brother with a contemplative look on his face.

Angrily, Takuya hit his brother over the head. "Incompetent! That was for looking through her diary! Listen first next time!" When Shinya nodded, he continued, "Alright, I need you to see how Kouichi acts around this kid."

"_What?_ But...but...my...uh, my homework!" Shinya stuttered. "What about my homework-"

"The same one you didn't care enough about to bring home? Hey, I'll even offer to cover up for you!" Takuya quickly told his brother in a low voice.

Silence. "Deal!"

The goggle boy jumped to his feet. He ran up in front of Kouichi and kicked the door shut before the said boy could make it out. "Hey, Kouichi!" Takuya shouted, grinning from ear to ear, "Shinya would _love_ to talk to Daisuki-"

"_Daisuke_."

"Right. Daisuke. He'd _love_ to talk to Daisuke right now. _Wouldn't you_, Shinya?" The grin changed into a glare as Takuya glanced back at his brother.

Shinya forced a smile onto his face as he slung his backpack on. "Yeah," he agreed, trying to sound enthusiastic (but the words literally sounded like they were coming from between his teeth) as he walked over, "Cuz they say he's a nerd and I really need help with my homework-OW!" Shinya glared up at his brother, who had (quite obviously) hit him on the head (yet again, although Takuya did his best to smile and look innocent).

"Yeah...they could definitely use the bonding time," Kouichi muttered, narrowing suspicious eyes on both brothers. "So hurry up." Looking at Takuya, he murmured, "I'll walk him back later."

_That's okay_. _You can keep him_. Takuya just nodded, the smile still plastered to his face as he watched his brother and friend walk off. _It really sucks how he isn't nice anymore_. _Back in the Digital World_, _it was easy to tell if something was wrong with him, or anyone else for that matter_. He sighed as he discovered his conclusion.

_I hate growing up_.

---------------------------------------------

Shinya watched Kouichi with intensely curious eyes; he didn't bother to hide the fact, either. Instead, he sped up until he was at pace with Kouichi and ask, "So why bug me?"

"You're his age, you need the training, you're the only little kid other than Daisuke that I know, you both go to the same school...take your pick. I've got more, though," Kouichi informed him.

"Ooh, really? I wanna hear!"

"You're in need of refinement, you need to be exposed to different people, someone has to shape you up-"

"Never mind," Shinya muttered, looking away and sulking grumpily. _He doesn't seem different_. _I wonder if this Daisuke guy is as mean as him_.

Feeling slightly guilty, Kouichi glanced at the younger boy. "Hey, I really need you to do this. Just...be nice, okay?"

His choice of words startled Shinya. "But why?" the Kanbara demanded, looking up. "What's it to you?" He was about to say something else, but held his tongue.

Instead of being angry as Shinya had predicted, Kouichi smiled and told Shinya, "I just want him to have a friend." The smile faded, replaced by an unreadable expression. "If you aren't doing this for anyone, do it for the goggles. But I'd prefer you did this willingly," Kouichi told him. "You know as well as anyone else how it feels to be alone."

Shinya just snorted. _What's the worst he could do if I _didn't_ do it willingly?_ Reassured by these thoughts, Shinya chuckled aloud in hopes of escaping Kouichi's last remark, unaware that Kouichi's eyes were narrowed on him.

Kouichi rose both eyebrows when Shinya continued his cackling, and then cleared his throat. "What's so funny?" he asked innocently.

The younger boy froze. _What am I thinking?_ Swallowing, he forced a shaky smile and squeaked, "Nothing."

"Thought so...now _move_ it!"

"Yessir!"

---------------------------------------------

"Eh? Goggle junior? Why him?" Kouji demanded, seeing Shinya enter the house. _Soon, he'll be inviting the brat next door_.

"He left his homework at school and wanted to ask Daisuke for help," Kouichi answered automatically. _Maybe I should invite the brat next door_. _That'll put him in his place_.

The young boy was in shock. "YOU OVERHEARD?"

"That's what you get for whispering so loud."

_Note to self: whisper quietly_, Shinya told himself, glaring at both twins (which was slightly hard, as they weren't exactly standing side by side). Then, clearing his throat, he asked, "Where's...uhm..." _Daisuki? Oh. Daisuke_. "Daisuke?" _Gah, there goes my reputation_.

_Why couldn't Daisuke be closer to Tomoki's age? I bet he'll hate me for this_. Kouichi pointed up the stairs. "What was once my room. I'll go get him. And Shinya..."

"Huh?"

"You're staying for dinner, too."

"Okay, but if I get into trouble-"

"You won't. I'm walking you home."

Shinya paused for a moment, taking his time to go over the possibilities. Coming to a consensus, he nodded.

"Okay," the young boy declared, "but only if you don't cook."

Shocked, Kouji sputtered, "But it's Kouichi's turn to cook tonight! Why are you and Takuya out to ruin my life?" Bandana glared at goggles-in-training.

The older twin placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't worry. He's afraid I'll poison the food, so you're all safe...for today." Kouichi then let out an evil cackle that was so unlike him, even if he was the same, rude, insensitive Kouichi they had seen only a week earlier.

Kouji and Shinya watched Kouichi vanish up the stairs.

"He bribed you, didn't he?" The bandana boy didn't dare chance a glance at Shinya as he asked this. Shinya nodded; he could see from his peripheral vision. "I'll double whatever he paid you if you report to me first."

"You mean...1000 yen?"

"Y-uh...no. Here, I'll give you 500 yen, okay? And...I'll steal Takuya's goggles tomorrow and give them to you."

"Deal!"

The older boy just stuck his tongue out. _Good thing I'll be able to get the goggles. Takuya always leaves them in class during lunch. More like...he forgets them in class during lunch_.

"Kouji, tongue back in."

Startled, Kouji bit down on his tongue, trying not to yelp as he drew his tongue back in and ignore the pain. The words didn't seem to come out right as he told his brother, "Alright, I'll miss your cooking this time." That being said (if you could consider it said. It sounded more like, '_Awight, aw mish er cooking dish kime_.'), Kouji walked up the stairs, waving to Daisuke as he passed the boy and Kouichi, then ran quickly to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

_His fault_, Kouichi decided mercilessly, pushing Daisuke forward (but slowly, so the boy didn't trip down the stairs as Arata had that while back). "Shinya's all bark. You guys have fun." He gave Daisuke a little push as the boy reached the last step, then muttered so only Daisuke could hear, "Don't worry. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Reluctantly, Daisuke sulked forward, eyes on the ground. "Uh...hi," he mumbled, lifting his eyes high enough so he could see Shinya's feet only a few inches away.

Kouichi ignored the look Shinya threw his way and started up the stairs, leaving the latter boy to sigh and look at Daisuke, whose sulking had created a dreary mood in the room.

_So much for spying on Kouichi_. "Oh...come on...don't tell me that's all you do in a place like _this_...!" He scowled in annoyance as he gestured to the room around him.

"Uh...?" Daisuke looked up at Shinya in confusion.

Shinya rose his arms higher in the air and waved them around a little more. "You could party in this place like crazy! I mean...you don't just sit and sulk here...do you?"

Daisuke shifted a little.

"Well..."

---------------------------------------------

Kouichi did his best to hide the smile that lifted the corners of his lips as he walked down the stairs. Below, Shinya and Daisuke were engaged in some nonsense or another; really, Kouichi didn't care, as long as the two were talking. He managed to turn his smile into a smirk just as Shinya looked his way with a glare.

"What's wrong? You were laughing just a second ago," Kouichi cackled.

"You're heading to the kitchen," Shinya growled.

Kouichi paused at the entrance of the kitchen before murmuring, "I have the right to be hungry." Then, with a dismissive wave, he entered the kitchen, letting out a relieved sigh as he heard the laughter of the two boys seconds later. _Mission accomplished_.

---------------------------------------------

Kouichi let out a yawn as they approached the school gate. "You got your cards and the weird disc?"

"Yeah," Daisuke mumbled.

Kouichi gazed at the boy and frowned. Placing a hand on Daisuke's shoulder, he murmured, "You just have to know where to look, okay?"

The puzzled boy looked to Kouichi for another answer, but Kouichi was already on his way to his own school. _What's that mean_...? Daisuke took a hesitant step onto the school yard.

"WATCH OUT!"

Startled, the young boy looked up, holding his arms out in front of him and flinching as a soccer ball flew into his hands. Opening his eyes, he discovered Shinya in front of him, grinning.

"Hey, Daisuke...wanna play?"

Daisuke looked from one side to another.

"M-me...?" he stuttered, looking startled as his gaze returned to Shinya.

Shinya just nodded, still grinning.

"Y-yeah...sure!" _Was that...what he meant?_ Daisuke dropped his bag by where the others had and ran after Shinya, who currently had the soccer ball. _Thanks...Kouichi_!

---------------------------------------------

"Shinya didn't get anything," Takuya groaned, falling back on the grass. _500 yen to waste_.

Kouji just laughed. _Talk about a waste of 500 yen_. _That brat won't get the goggles, either. I'm not wasting my time for useless information!_ "Yeah...he was too busy playing with Daisuke."

"Funny thing is...he asked me if Daisuke could come over today..."

"And you said...?"

"Well, it's not really my choice, smarty," Takuya snapped irritably. "Mom said it was okay, though..." The goggle boy shut his eyes with a sigh. "He's so weird..."

"Who?" Sumi asked, kicking her cousin on the side of the head lightly before taking her seat beside him.

"Well...both of them."

"Huh?" Confused, Sumi turned to Kouji.

"Shinya and Kouichi-hey! No Hotaru today...?" Kouji suddenly asked.

Sumi rolled her eyes. "So you _did_ fall asleep in class today..."

Kouji turned pink and looked to the side. A few seconds of silence passed. Then, mumbling to himself, the boy stood up and walked away.

An even more confused Sumi looked down at the goggle boy to her side. "Mind telling me what's up?" she inquired.

"I guess...Kouichi's finally changing for the better."

---------------------------------------------

A/N-

290837859 more chapters to go! Kidding. Everyone have a good Christmas time! Rather than write, I finished J-dramas: _Gokusen 2_ and _Dragon Zakura_. Speaking of media, I really, really want Wada Kouji to get out some ALBUMS. He only has like...one. What a jerk, hogging all the good music to himself! XP Hirari comes out the 22nd or so, and the cover is awesome.

Similarly, I should get some chapters out, hogging all the good ones to myself...! But after this chapter…it'll take a while. I need to retreat, or I'll need glasses…o.o

Thank you for the reviews: **Ritachi, GemmaniGirl**

Please Review, PM, or Flame!


	7. Meddling

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon, but I own the joy of knowing Digimon exists (in the form of entertainment, at the very least).

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Meddling

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The days passed quickly, at least quicker than Kouichi expected. He occasionally informed Itsuma of Daisuke's situation, yet Itsuma never asked for him to bring Daisuke back, and Kouichi wasn't bothered much by the fact. Yumena had become less irritable and completely refused to talk to him, much to his delight (the only downside was that he could no longer annoy her). Arata, on the other hand, sought out Kouichi's help during lunch, where they sat in the hidden clearing, surrounded by rose bushes, working on one math problem after another. In the case where rain would settle in, they decided to camp out in the abandoned chemistry room (it made Kouichi feel at home). Hotaru, if anything, seemed to be avoiding Kouichi. Tomoki had discovered a math test he neglected to study for was in a week, and skipped lunches (which only consisted of Kouji and Takuya attempting to decipher Kouichi's 'strange' behavior) to study alone in the library, sometimes with the help of Izumi and the other girls (who were mainly tired of Takuya and Kouji's rambling). Izumi and Sumi gave up on their boyfriends to keep Hotaru company (when they weren't all helping Tomoki). But best of all, Kouichi hadn't attended any of the meetings Yume had called whatsoever.

...Which was unfortunate for Yumena.

"He's getting soft," Heima muttered to the girl as she was doing her homework. He turned his head in her direction, hearing a slam. "Lady Yumena..."

She looked up, obviously angry. "I know. Baku's told me, only..._I_ _don't know_...a billion times?" Letting out a sigh, Yume leaned back in her seat. "It's not even because of _her_. It's everyone else."

Heima bowed his head in agreement. "Still...he's only a callow boy. Perhaps he plans to beguile us..."

"Callow?" Yume repeated. "Try _callous_!"

But Heima was too preoccupied with a conversation with himself to hear her. "His actions seem capricious enough...he must not know what he's getting into..." He trailed to a stop, hearing the opening of a door.

"No meeting? Yeesh, I would've gone straight home..."

Yumena and Heima looked up, both narrowing their eyes on Itsuma, who had just come in. Yume stood up, hands clenched by her side. "_You_...where's Daisuke?"

"Uh...Kouichi's house?" Itsuma frowned, seeing the look on her face. "What's the deal?"

"_Have you lost your senses_? He's going soft!"

"Uh..."

Yume stormed up to him, pointing her finger at his chest. "Take Daisuke home _now_," she ordered.

Itsuma's eyes narrowed on her in sudden comprehension. He pushed her hand aside. "No."

"What...?"

"I don't give a bunny rabbit about this place if it's not going to help me. Right now, it isn't." He snorted, seeing the look on her face. "Daisuke's staying with Kouichi until I ask for him back or Kouichi gives him back. You have a problem, I'll be glad to settle it," Itsuma said, pulling his deck out, and taking the first card into his hands. He muttered the name and an Allomon materialized in front of him.

Yume stumbled to the side and pulled out her own deck. "Fine!" she snapped. "Kyubimon!"

The two locked eyes, neither daring to move. The sound of the door opening startled hem both seconds later. Even Heima was shocked as Kouichi walked down and in between the two summoned digimon. Out of the corner of his eyes, he gazed at Yume, who stood with her jaw dropped. "Is there something wrong...?" he asked in a cold voice.

The girl's eyes widened as she gasped. Returning Kyubimon to her card, Yume turned around and ran out of the room.

"Okay..." Kouichi raised an eyebrow as he saw her slam the door.

Itsuma, after returning Allomon back to his card form, ran up to Kouichi, grabbed his shoulders, and shook his furiously. "Where's Daisuke?" Itsuma demanded.

The smirk on Kouichi's face caused him to stop. Letting out a small chuckle at the expression on Itsuma's face (one of confusion, shock and fear), Kouichi told the older boy, "At Takuya's house. His parents offered to let him stay over for the week. He and Shinya hit it off pretty well. So what was with you two-hey..._you_..." Kouichi's eyes narrowed on Heima. "So this Baku guy took back your all-mightiness? Loser."

"_DON'T_ BE STUPID!" Itsuma and Heima snapped in unison. Lifting his chin, Heima spun around and walked off, opening the small door to the right of the main hall's door and disappearing behind it. Itsuma rolled his eyes and looked at Kouichi, somewhat incredulously.

"Heima's still the second most powerful guy here, Kouichi. Get on his bad side, and-" he began to explain.

"I'm sorry to say I don't care," Kouichi interrupted. "I just wanted to know if you wanted Daisuke to come home next week." He paused, then added. "It'd be a good idea to talk to your dad tonight, too."

"Wha-"

Kouichi turned around. "Uh...and Itsuma...Yumena...did she have a sister in that picture that you saw...?"

"I...don't know. It was a while ago," Itsuma confessed.

_Damn_. "Uh...where's _her_ room?" Kouichi asked.

"East wing...you go through the door Heima went through, turn right, and it's the first door to your left. Um...why?" Itsuma suddenly inquired. "H-_Kouichi!_"

"Sorry!" Kouichi yelled back, hands clutching his deck of cards tightly in his pocket. Under his breath, Kouichi muttered, "I know it's no way to return your trust, but..." He took a right turn and stopped, looking left. _I'm amazed she doesn't make it stand out._ Shrugging, he pushed the door open and entered, gently shutting the door behind him.

"Alright...Gatomon! Help me search, please," Kouichi whispered.

Gatomon appeared in front of him, looking miffed. "You interrupted my nap," she purred.

Kouichi just smiled. "How about some fish for dinner?" he suggested, lifting the pillow on the bed to commence the search.

"Hm...well, you sure won't get anything by ripping up my card. Yeah, why not?"

He grinned at the cat. "Now...claws away, please?"

---------------------------------------------

"Kouji, do you know where your brother is?" Satomi called out.

Kouji looked up from his schoolwork. "No!" _Now that I think about it...it's too quiet_. Frowning, Kouji got up and exited his room, slowly walking towards his brother's room. _What's with him..._? Kouji let out a breath as he threw the door open.

The bandana boy froze.

"Wh-WHA-?"

---------------------------------------------

"Got something!" exclaimed Gatomon several seconds later, holding up a picture frame. She held it out towards Kouichi.

The boy took it from her hands and turned it around so the picture faced him. "This...should be her...and these are her parents. Then...I was right!" He jumped back, startled, seeing the door open.

"Kouichi...you...uh...what..." Itsuma gazed at him, looking somewhat annoyed. "You..."

"I'm done," Kouichi said, handing the picture back to Gatomon and holding both hands up in the air in compliance. He watched Gatomon place the picture back and return to her card.

Itsuma's eyes widened. He picked the card up off the ground and gazed at it in awe. "Where'd you get this...?"

The younger boy dropped his hands. Pointing to the card, he said, "That card? It was in one of the binders."

"I wonder if Master Baku knows..."

"Hand it back over! No one's stealing _my_ cat." Kouichi snatched the card away, looking slightly flustered. _Yeesh, got lucky there, Kouichi_.

Itsuma frowned. "Kouichi, you'll get in trouble."

"Trouble, trouble, boil and bubble. If this Baku guy has a problem, he can settle it with me!" Kouichi pushed Itsuma out of the way and froze. "Uh...oh..."

The older boy tuned stiff. "You idiot...don't tell me."

"Yep. Queen Yume might scream, 'Off with his head!' Real soon, too."

"Idiot..."

The red-faced Yume did indeed scream, but nothing of the sort. While Kouichi and Itsuma plugged their ears, she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"BAKU! HEIMA! SOMEONE...?"

---------------------------------------------

"We're busted."

Kouichi just shook his head. _Can't believe I didn't see that in my dream. I thought I'd get caught _after_ Itsuma left_. "I've got a pretty convincing speech in mind. Besides, it's not like it was your fault, Itsuma." He looked at Itsuma and immediately frowned. "You don't believe me?"

A grunt was his reply. After a few seconds, Itsuma sighed. "I have half a mind to strangle you," he admitted, but in a mutter under his breath.

"Hey, I think we got off pretty easy anyway! Wait...what am I talking about?" Kouichi frowned. "This is so lame..." He rose to his feet. _Did I go soft?_ The thought lingered, but he pushed it away dismissively. _Whatever_. "Why are we getting in trouble for just going into her room?"

"What do you mean, '_just going into her room_?' In case you haven't noticed, she's like Baku's daughter."

Kouichi paused to consider this. Then, shrugging, he declared (and not without volume, either), "I feel sorry for the guy."

"You're-"

Itsuma was interrupted as Heima entered the room, followed by a visibly incensed Yume.

_This could be fun_..._Taro girl_..._meh, she hates me_. "Hello, princess, so what's the-"

She locked eyes with him in an instant. "SHUT UP," Yume thundered.

_Not _her_, too_. _So much for _that. "Fine. What's the deal, stupid girl?"

Heima was the one who spoke. "You will be staying with us all of this week running various tasks with Itsuma or Arata."

Kouichi just snorted. "Then we'll start tomorrow. I've got to study for a stupid test tonight."

"No, you're starting _today_," Yume corrected.

Their eyes clashed again.

"Tomorrow."

"Today."

"Tomorrow.

"Today." Before Kouichi could continue this childish argument, Yume yelled, "Baku said so, so it is!"

Kouichi kicked the door behind him and hollered back, "Baku tells you to die. So die already, stupid girl!"

"You-"

"I'm starting _tomorrow_. _Kouichi_ says so, so it is! _Tomorrow_, not _today_, damn you! Shut up before I have Goburimon club your hair to death," Kouichi growled, seeing Yume's mouth open. He turned to Itsuma. "I _told_ you, go talk to your dad." Startled, Itsuma rose to his feet and nodded, quickly running off. "And if you two or Baku have anything to say about it, I'll _kill_ you all." That being said, Kouichi walked through the still open door, feeling his blood boil.

_Calm down,_ he told himself. _Don't get so worked up about this!_ _I liked it better when we _weren't _murderous_. _Come to think of it, when have I ever _been_ murderous_?

Kouichi shivered, making sure to break into a run after exiting the mansion. _Kouichi_...

..._get a grip_!

---------------------------------------------

A sigh escaped him. _I guess I took a detour_, Kouichi realized, gazing up at the houses down the street. _And Arata's street of all places! Tch. Go, Kouichi. But then again...Feh. Ridiculous. She'd throw you out. But_-

Kouichi's gaze fell on the house to the right of Arata's. "Uh...I have a death wish," Kouichi told himself, finding himself in front of the front door mere seconds later. Hesitantly, he reached up and pressed the doorbell. Kouichi winced, hearing a crash.

_I'm doomed_. _She'll come at me with a knife_! _What was I thinking, challenging her on her home turf_? _I-er_, Kouichi thought, seeing a middle-aged lady standing in front of him that he guessed to be Hotaru's mother. _Very different than what...whatever_. "H-hi..." _I don't know her last name_. _Great_. "Is...Hotaru home?"

She smiled at him and nodded, slowly pushing the door in front of her until it almost closed before she yelled, "Hotaru! You have a guest! Don't tell me you got a _boyfriend_!"

_BOYFRIEND_? Kouichi found himself unable to speak, gaping at the doorway with his jaw hanging.

"-_too young_! Hurry up! What are you doing, making this nice young man wait?"

"I'm _coming_, Mom," Hotaru snapped. "And I _don't_ have a boyfriend!"

Her mother opened the door again, revealing Kouichi as he was: shocked, confused, horrified, terrified, more synonyms for a state of pure horror, but most importantly, not composed.

"Oh..." Hotaru's face fell as Kouichi, realizing his mistake, quickly collected himself. "What?"

Kouichi gazed at the ground. "Ah...about the other day..."

Hotaru was quick to interrupt. "If it's an apology, forget it. I don't-"

However, Kouichi was still quicker. "I don't _want_ to apologize to you," Kouichi snapped as he lifted his eyes. Looking exasperated, he told her, "Look, I'm _really_ sorry about what I said when I first met you, okay? I don't mean the first few words, but the words that counted." He drew a breath as a string of thoughts ran through his head: _I'm not sorry about calling you stupid, because I still believe the girls at our school are stupid_. His eyes lowered again, but he didn't realize. "I didn't know...I just...I'm sorry," he managed to say. As he said those last few words, he gazed up at Hotaru, trying to keep his voice level.

Kouichi let out a sigh, seeing the tears on Hotaru's cheeks. "What...I really want to know...and yeah, I suppose it's mostly for my gain...I want to know if we could...uh..." _This is lame_. "Start over?" he inquired sheepishly, holding out a hand. Instead of paying any attention to his hand, Hotaru stepped forward, burying her face in his jacket as she continued to cry. Kouichi remained frozen, unsure of what to do. Reluctantly, he patted her on the back. "Uh...how...would...a walk sound?"

---------------------------------------------

"So...four years, huh?" _Sounds right_.

"Not really. Try two. Four years ago, she'd always be out. Three years ago, she'd come home really late. And then..." Hotaru trailed away, gazing glumly at the ground below her. "They supposedly found her dead in some alleyway."

Kouichi's mind was spinning. _Found her dead..._? _Okay_. _Two can really play at that game_. "Hey, how would you like to meet some friends of mine?" Kouichi asked without second thought. "I'm sure they'd love to meet you." _Yeah, great lie_.

"Uh..."

"Let's see...that jerk...let's class out earlier than...so...wait in front of my class!" Kouichi said to her.

Hotaru nodded and gazed up at the darkening sky. "I should go home now..."

"Oh...want me to walk you home?" Kouichi offered.

She smiled.

Kouichi, taken aback, could only gawk as Hotaru shook her head. "That's fine," she told him. "You know, you're nice when you want to be." Judging by her footsteps, Kouichi guessed she was starting home.

He quickly turned around, feeling his face flush. _Get a grip, Kouichi_. _Have you gone nuts? Feh. A week ago, you could have gotten slapped. Er_..._no_..._wait, that's a bad thing_.

Kouichi cleared his throat to get her attention. "You sure? I know a cat who'd love to walk you home," he said. _That sounds weird_.

"Oh, a cat?" Hotaru asked, turning around.

_Good thing she's stupid_. _Gatomon!_ Kouichi fumbled with the disc in one hand and Gatomon's card in another, trying to figure out how to work it while remaining inconspicuous. _Card insert_? _No...card slide_. "Gatomon," he muttered, sliding the card down the reader. The top of the disc, which seemed to be as silver as its backing, revealed itself to be shut. Confused, Kouichi lifted the shutter. _Digistatistics_. _Hah, would have been cooler as a camera_. The numbers disappeared, revealing the text, '_You called_?' Kouichi quickly shoved the disc in his pocket.

"Uh...G-Gato-I mean, Fluffball, go walk Hotaru home." He pointed to Hotaru while locking eyes with Gatomon, who had materialized in front of his feet.

The cat digimon was incensed. Reluctantly, Gatomon got on her forelegs and hissed at Kouichi.

_Sorry_. Kouichi stuck his tongue out.

Hotaru looked over his shoulder (by standing on her tiptoes, of course) then walked around Kouichi to get a better look at Gatomon. "Fluffball...? That was the best you could do?" She sighed, shaking her head and murmuring, "I've always wanted a cat, but...well, my mom...and...and allergies." Hotaru ignored the tears that sprang to her eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away and suggested, "Um...why not Kae?" Hotaru squatted down and held a hand out in front of the cat digimon.

Kouichi just let out a nervous laugh, mainly to mask his smile as he watched Gatomon rubbing her head against Hotaru's knee. "Y-yeah...Kae works." _That cat's gonna _bite _me_. Squatting down as well (and doing his best not to twitch), Kouichi told Gatomon, "Get Hotaru home and come back. If you can't find me...the dog will find you."

"You have a dog, too?" Hotaru asked, seeming to be delighted by the prospect.

"Well...he's _kind_ of mine. In a way, he's more of someone else's. I sort of...gave him away...? But he's still living with me, so...it's…complicated." Kouichi gave up on explaining and looked the cat in the eyes. "Kae…after you get out of the house, turn left, cross three roads going straight, turn left again, straight across one street, right, and it's the ugly house on the corner. Got it?" In response, Gatomon let out an attempted meow. Relaxing, Kouichi rose to his feet, and murmured, "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Hotaru."

Hotaru scooped Gatomon into her arms and watched Kouichi's retreating form. "Kae…do you know why he's being nice to me? It isn't because of her, is it?" she whispered, turning around and walking home. "I don't want him to feel sorry for me."

_He doesn't_. Gatomon made sure to hold her tongue. _If I could tell you the half of it…_

"Still," Hotaru continued, laughing to herself quietly. "I'm not apologizing for thinking of him as a heartless freak!"

Gatomon hid a smirk. _There you go. That's the road to feeling better_.

---------------------------------------------

"Gah, I forgot about Gatomon!" Kouichi exclaimed in exasperation, sitting up in his bed. The covers were thrown aside, hanging just above Doggymon, who slept in front of the front end of Kouichi's bed in a pile of cushions and blankets cleverly crafted into a make-shift bed. _She's really going to scratch me_…

"Kouichi! Phone!" Kouji yelled, throwing the door open. "Uh…and…the dog…you're going to clear that up with Dad, right?"

Kouichi scowled, pushing aside whatever covers still remained on him. "Why are you still awake?" he snapped, snatching the phone away.

Looking equally suspicious, Kouji demanded, "Why does it sound like _Hotaru_ on the phone?"

"Ah…it's Hotaru, is it?" Kouichi lifted the phone to his ear. "This is the smarter twin speaking."

Silence met his ears.

Irritated, Kouichi cleared his throat and said, "This is Kouichi, the smarter twin, and if you are a stupid telemarketer out to swindle me of my money, forget it. I will hunt you down and strangle you first." Kouichi smirked as he rose his voice a little and instructed in a falsetto voice, "To talk to Kouichi, press one. To annoy Kouichi, go to-" He stopped, hearing the sound of a button being pressed on the other end. "Gimme a break, Hotaru. You fell for _that_?"

"No," Hotaru told him in an innocent voice. "I just figured it would be interesting to press two before you said something you might regret. Kae doesn't like cursing."

_Damn. _She_ tricked _me. "In that case, I'll hang up. Obviously you don't want to talk to me." Another smirk found its way onto Kouichi's face.

Hotaru growled. Exhaling sharply, she told him, "I don't _want_ to! Stop smirking!"

"Stalker! How'd you know I was smirking?" Kouichi snapped.

_Too weird_, Kouji thought, standing in the room, immobile as he watched his brother carry on with the conversation (Kouji could hear the conversation due to the loud volume of the phone). It brought him an odd sense of happiness, of jealousy, and a new mystery.

The older twin looked sullen at Hotaru's latest comment, which Kouji happened to miss. "I'm not smirking anymore…" he mumbled.

"Yeah, I kind of imagined it," Hotaru confessed.

A snort escaped Kouichi. "Good for you. What do you want?"

Silence.

"Hotaru…?"

"Um…do you mind if I keep Kae over here tonight?"

"That's it?" Kouichi let out a sigh of relief. "Sure…why not?" _It might be better this way._

"Okay, that's it."

"Gee, thanks." Kouichi paused before quickly adding, "Bring her to school tomorrow."

He knew she'd object: "But…no pets-"

"Just bring her tomorrow, okay? I'll uh…see you then," Kouichi said. "Bye." Quickly, he turned the phone off before Hotaru could argue, then handed it to Kouji. "If she calls again, I'm asleep," Kouichi declared, pulling the covers up as he lay down back in his back. "'night."

_Good night_. Kouji exited his brother's room and quickly dialed Takuya's number. "Hello…Shinya? Could you give it to your brother? Yeah…yeah, this is Kouji…"

---------------------------------------------

A/N-

I haven't updated in a while…! Unfortunately, this is due not only to homework, but to my own laziness. I've also taken my eyes for granted, it seems, and the long stays in front of the computer for music and homework are getting to me. Ten more days is a happy day! I think. And then another month-ish, and it'll be a happier day. For behold-!

It's a secret. I'll tell the next time I update.

Ran into too many stops. There's a bit of trouble in school too, in terms of my eyes and my lack of motivation. It really is a lack of motivation. I think it's because of history that I'm so ready for the year to end. But really, I don't want it to end until I learn the 'wa,' 'da,' 'kou,' and 'ji' kanji. That was ridiculous. But I really want to learn them! Because they look PRETTY. Well, I can't remember 'ji' for the life of me, but 'wa' and 'da' are pretty!

To the story rants: Chapter title has changed from "Clashing" to "Meddling," which was the intended title all alone. I really need to alter the story title. Rather…_annex_ words to it. By the way, the reader isn't really a _disc_ in the sense that _it isn't flat_. It's more like a CD player with a flat edge, and that flat part has a reader (A discus with a flat side!). I honestly tried drawing it out, but I totally had no idea on how to design it. Version two is supposed to be stylish, and I want to make a ring out of the idea (we're making rings in Art), but I'm not that good. It might actually take two or three more chapters for real unsubtle action.

Review or PM or Flame if you will!


	8. Clashing

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. I don't even own a digimon. If I did own a digimon, I think I would live a slightly happier life.

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Clashing

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"They're on good terms?" Takuya yelled in surprise the very next morning. "Kouji, of all the rotten lies-"

"Hey, Takuya…" Kouichi murmured as he passed the goggle boy, waving as he did. "Anyone see Hotaru? Goggle-brain, you're in the way of my locker."

_He doesn't seem to have changed_, Takuya thought, stepping aside as he stared at Kouichi suspiciously. On the other side of the older twin, Kouji did the same.

Kouichi stopped what he was doing. "What?" he snapped, glaring at Kouji and then Takuya. "Don't you guys have gossip to discuss or girlfriends to chase?"

"What's your deal?" Takuya asked, sticking his face closer to Kouichi's.

Kouji followed, asking, "What's up with you and Hotaru?"

_Oh…so that's what last night's dream was about_. "Let me guess," Kouichi muttered, pushing the two away. "The 'umi's got mad at you for bothering about me and started hanging out with their friends, resulting in you two going mad and skimming over a thousand possibilities of what could have possibly changed me." When they nodded, Kouichi smirked and began opening his locker. "Nothing did, idiots. You're wasting your time," he told them.

"It's a lie! Plug your ears Kou-Kouji?" Takuya dropped his hands, watching in confusion as his bandana-less friend walked off. _Sheez…I'm glad I don't have a twin_, Takuya thought, starting after Kouji.

Someone held him back. "Unless you want detention for violating the dress code, take off the goggles and stuff them into your locker," Kouichi advised, letting go of Takuya's shoulder as the said boy turned around. "And actually wear the jacket properly."

Takuya frowned. "If I don't…?" he asked suspiciously.

Silence fell between them as Kouichi took out his books, shut his locker and locked it. Then, with a shrug, he admitted, "No clue. But play it safe today, will you? This is middle school, _not_ a playground." _Now where's Hotaru?_ Kouichi's eyes scanned the hall restlessly. _She's not here_…

The goggle boy looked at Kouichi curiously as the bell sounded throughout the hall. _I wonder if he even heard the bell ring…might as well wake him up_. "Kouichi! Class time. We'll be late," Takuya informed the preoccupied boy.

But Kouichi seemed too distracted to care. "Uh…yeah, that's great," he murmured absentmindedly. Then, under his breath: "Where is she?"

"Alright, buddy, time for class!" Takuya insisted. "Search for her during break…whoever you're searching for," Takuya added under his breath as he grabbed Kouichi's arm and dragged him off to class.

---------------------------------------------

"Mr. Kimura! You would do well to pay attention in class. May I inquire what could possibly be bothering you?" Mr. Kanemaru asked.

Surprised, Kouichi stood up. "Uh…? Oh…nothing," he said quickly before sitting down. "Sorry." He was too distracted to notice or care about the gasps going around the room. _I guess I could always ask Arata_, he supposed, sending a hesitant glance in the said boy's direction. _But I don't think he'd know…furthermore, I doubt he knows just how much she likes him_. He let out a half-hearted chuckle, returning his attention to the front and yelping when he saw his teacher standing in front of his desk. "M-Mr. Kanemaru…! Er…uh…I was…"

"For the twelfth time, do you need to go to the office? Perhaps sleep this behavior off?" Mr. Kanemaru asked, sounding exasperated.

"Uh…I…actually…" Kouichi rose to his feet without bothering to contemplate the other possibilities. "That sounds cool. Thanks," he said, heading for the door and stopping before he could get out. _Wait!_ He took several steps back and looked to his right, eyes narrowing on Yumena's seat.

Empty.

"Where's…Yumena…?" Kouichi asked Mr. Kanemaru, trying not to sound too curious.

"Principal Moriguchi wished to speak to her…" Mr. Kanemaru frowned. "Are you-"

"Whew, I feel a headache coming! A nap awaits me," Kouichi declared, strolling out of the room before breaking into a run and quickly dashing around the corner, where he waited for Mr. Kanemaru to disappear back into the classroom. _Next stop, Kouji's class. But first…waiting until that geezer of a teacher stops trying to find me_.

---------------------------------------------

_I'm confused_…_'nothing' changed him? It's true…but it _isn't_ true at the same time. He's the same, rude Kouichi. But he seems _happier_. He's getting along with people for goodness sakes! That _has_ to count for something. It can't just be 'nothing.'_ Kouji let out a sigh and stared at the door. _What's with him? Or is it just me…? I really should stop talking to myself_.

"Hey, Mr. Tanimoto?"

Kouji looked up, recognizing the sound of the voice. His eyes narrowed on the form of his brother. "Kouichi, what are you-" he began.

"Is Hotaru in class?" Kouichi asked before Kouji could finish. "She…uh…has something of mine."

Mr. Tanimoto shook his head. "I'm afraid she's absent, Kouichi. You didn't get kicked out of class did you…?" the teacher asked, eyes sparkling with humor.

"Sorry, I don't want to stoop to Kouji's level." With a sigh, Kouichi quickly waved at Mr. Tanimoto. "Thanks anyway!" he called out, running off again.

"I DON'T GET KICKED OUT OF CLASS!" Kouji yelled, rising to his feet before he could stop himself. In an instant, all eyes were on him. He fell back into his seat, pink-faced. "Uh…sorry. Don't know what came over me," he said with a nervous laugh. Kouji quickly turned serious. _He's up to something…just…what_?

---------------------------------------------

He ran for all his legs were worth, sliding to a stop just past the Principal's office as he remembered Yumena had been asked to speak with Principal Moriguchi. _What's _she_ doing?_ His breath was racing at a speed only challenged by his heart. Somehow, he managed to compose himself. Kouichi drew in a single breath, exhaling slowly as he approached the door. All other sound seemed to disappear, being replaced instead with two voices, one of which he recognized.

"It isn't my fault he did that." _Yumena_, Kouichi immediately thought. _But the other_…

"He was smart about it, I suppose. She called her 'Kae'…and Yumena, don't make that face. He serves under you and you're going to have to set him in place."

Kouichi lifted a hand and placed it on his throbbing temple. It wasn't the principal speaking; the voice was too young, and Principal Moriguchi was relatively middle-aged. But Kouichi easily drew his own conclusions. _Great_, _is the principal Baku's goon too? Next thing you know, the entire school…no…the entire_ city_ will be under Baku's influence_.

"But he's so…_infuriating_!" Yume insisted.

_Infuriating? She needs to expand her vocabulary,_ Kouichi thought with a smirk. _'Infuriating' doesn't cover even half of it_.

The second voice laughed. "I should know." Kouichi guessed him to be a young man in his twenties or thirties. "Heima, fill her in on the rest and then report back. I have a certain interloper to take care of."

_What?! How…?_ Kouichi took several steps away from the door, not daring to breath. _I'm confus-no! I can't be saying that! _I_ have to be confusing _them_! That guy said, '_I should know_.' What does that mean? Spy…stalker…or wait! Kouji's working-no…wait_. _He sounded higher than Yumena, and she's practically royalty there_. _And he's ordering Heima around_. _Wait-he's ordering Heima around!_ "That was…?" Kouichi's eyes widened.

'_Heima's still the second most powerful guy here_.' Itsuma had said that, which meant…

_That must mean that guy was…_BAKU? "But he's too young," Kouichi muttered. _This Baku guy's an old geezer, isn't he_?

"Wrong."

Kouichi's eyes widened as he turned around. His breath hitched. In front of him, Gatomon's card floated to the floor. The boy slowly picked it up off the floor. "Then…if Gatomon is here, then Hotaru…_Damn_ it!" Without a second thought, he ran off the school ground, unsure of what he was doing himself.

---------------------------------------------

He reached Hotaru's house in a matter of minutes. With no cars in the driveway and the door unlocked but open, Kouichi couldn't do anything but worry. _Double damn_, he thought, ringing on the doorbell as a precaution. "Hotaru…?" he called out. When no one answered him, Kouichi ran inside, feeling he had a perfectly good excuse.

_Ick…a girl's house. Well…no, technically it's her dad's house. Whatever. Just find her, Kouichi!_ "But where's her room…?" _And why didn't I get a damned dream about this?_

Kouichi spent all of five minutes dashing from the kitchen to the living room to the backyard, looking behind every counter, couch and fern. Then, deciding it was his only choice, Kouichi stepped into the hall, looking from one door to another. "Let's try…this!" he muttered, quickly opening a door and closing his eyes at the same time.

Silence. He opened his eyes and shut the door with a groan. _Where is she?_ "Taro girl!" Kouichi yelled. "This isn't funny!" Angrily, he pulled out the reader and his deck. _Card…card…Doggymon would be nice about now_! He took Gatomon's card and pocketed the rest of the deck. "Forget it. Gatomon!" he snapped, sliding the said card down the slot. "What happened to Hotaru?" he asked as the digimon materialized.

If any words could describe Gatomon at the moment, it was irked beyond reason. The cat glared up at Kouichi. "If you had paid attention to the metal thingy in your hands, you would know," she told him. "You could have helped us out."

"What?" Frowning, Kouichi gazed at the screen. "Let's see…'Jerk, hurry up here!' What else? 'He's got her-no…he's got me.' Well sorry. I didn't know they'd get so annoyed with me lending you to Hotaru," Kouichi snapped, a bit relieved that only Gatomon had been taken.

Gatomon just coughed once before walking up to a door. "Well before I tell you the truth, she's in here," the cat said hesitantly.

"Great!" Kouichi ran over to the door and pushed it open. "Hotaru-I mean…Taro girl…? Yikes, they made a mess…" _Or is this the normal state of her room?_ He frowned, seeing her lying on her bed under the covers, eyes shut. _This is my fault. I really owe her_. "Alright, Gatomon. What's the 'truth'?" Boy turned to digimon, awaiting an answer.

"I kind of…spoke in front of her."

He groaned. _No wonder!_ "Gatomon…"

"I thought she was still asleep!" Gatomon insisted in her defense. "But she was awake. And then two jerks from the security talon came and knocked both of us out. Believe me, it was less than pretty."

_I can imagine_. "I don't have any normal-looking digimon left. Hey, you think you could get Doggymon?" Kouichi suddenly asked.

But Gatomon's gaze was fixed on Hotaru. "Don't bother. She's awake."

Kouichi winced, gazing at Hotaru in time to see her sit up and gaze at him sleepily. "What…are…you doing in my room?" she mumbled, trying to grasp a hold of reality.

At a loss for words, Kouichi gaped at Hotaru, not even trusting himself to speak when words came. Then, clearing his throat, he explained awkwardly, "I…well, you weren't at school, so I came to get Ga-Kae."

A strange look passed Hotaru's face. "B-but…" She stopped, and the words disappeared when she saw the cat. Instead, Hotaru began stuttering incessantly. "Sh-the-wh-Kouichi…" Hotaru started again, letting out a strangled cry, "What is going on?"

"What do you remember from before this?"

"I…I woke up and Kae was there," Hotaru said after much contemplation.

"Great. You must've had a nice long dream, because you're late for school!" Kouichi snapped angrily.

"Kouichi-" She stopped herself and turned away. _I don't get it. Why did he come for me? And why is he_…

Kouichi stood there patiently (for once) awaiting Hotaru to finish her thinking. When she didn't, he cleared his throat.

"Get…out! I have to change, pervert!" Hotaru yelled, picking up her pillow and throwing it at the shocked boy. _I'll ask you some other time, Kouichi. I don't think either one of us is ready for answers_.

---------------------------------------------

"I don't get it…why are you late?" Kouji asked for the second time that lunch. Hotaru had come five minutes before lunch started with the excuse of a fever.

An irked Sumi pulled on his ear. "_Drop_ it, Kouji. I don't know what's gotten over you. So Kouichi's changing. Big deal! What's so strange about that?" the girl snapped. "And leave Hotaru _alone_."

"No…he's _right_," Hotaru muttered. "I don't really understand why he's being nice to me. Being on good terms is one thing, but he apologized, meaning…"

"Of course!" Kouji yelled. He grinned at Hotaru. "He found someone new to annoy!"

Hotaru nodded. "He said something about that a while ago. It must be someone…who must not like me."

Both Sumi and Kouji looked at Hotaru incredulously. "What gave you _that_ idea?" the two asked.

"Think about it! Hasn't he talked _politely_ to someone _Kouji_ hates?" Hotaru demanded.

"I'm not hearing this!" Sumi exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air and walking a ways away.

"You're _right_," Kouji muttered, folding his arms across his chest and ignoring Sumi for the moment. "And he always barges in my room, and I have to knock. How fair is that? Just because he's older by minutes…and Mom and Dad let him get away with it. He totally takes advantage of it!"

_I wonder why,_ Hotaru thought, rolling her eyes. "We've got this mystery in the bag, then!"

Kouji let out a sigh. "I've always wanted to be a detective. Total solo work," he murmured wistfully.

"What does this have to do with anything?"

Silence.

"Anyway, Kouichi _did_ say something about introducing me to someone. Maybe _they_ would know," Hotaru concluded.

Kouji blanched in response. Seeing the look of askance on the girl's face, he pointed behind her. "Sorry…he told me to keep quiet."

"Oh…you mean…" Hotaru's face fell as she turned around. "K-Kouichi…" She found him leaning on the tree just behind her.

The older twin just shook his head. "Sorry, but you can forget meeting anyone. Too risky now," Kouichi declared, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes on Kouji. "No Takuya?" he asked, scanning the table and the surrounding people a few yards away.

Again, Kouji blanched, this time for a different reason altogether. "Actually, he and Izumi are spending some…alone time together," the boy explained awkwardly.

"Oh. Makes sense."

"It does?"

Kouichi just rolled his eyes. "Hey, Hotaru, I need you to forget about Kae. Will you?"

Her expression was just as he predicted: utter disbelief. "B-but…why? What's the big deal?" she demanded. "That's not fair!"

"Shut up." Kouichi let out a sigh, seeing tears brimming in her eyes. "Look, I'm _sorry_, but it isn't possible. Just forget the cat. I'll even say 'please,'" he told her, trying to keep his emotions at bay. "So would you…_please_?"

Hotaru clenched her firsts. "_Fine_," she spat.

"I'm not going to apologize this time. Don't give me that attitude."

"Why? Because I don't know how it feels?" the girl spat, completely ignoring the fact that Kouji, and now even Sumi were listening.

Kouichi was more conscious of his surroundings, but cared little. "Actually, I'm pretty sure…no…I _know_ you don't know how this feels. You don't want to, either. Forget the cat completely."

"Kae."

"Uh…?"

"Kae, not _cat_, you _jerk_!" Hotaru snapped, standing up and japing his chest with a finger. "Get it _right!_"

Kouichi flinched as she eventually broke into sobs and leaned into the arm of his jacket to cry. _Damn…kids these days_. "Alright, alright…Kae. Just…stop mentioning her!" _They do say naming things forms some kind of affection or something. Harder to let the noun go_. "Hey, Hotaru…I do have a rep to preserve. Can you-"

"SHUT UP!"

_I guess not_. "Um…S-Sumi?" Kouichi called out, trying not to twitch. "Kouji…? Help?"

"Aw…but you two-" Kouji began.

"Your guitar will never see the light of day again," the older twin interrupted. "Now-huh!" Kouichi watched Hotaru pushed him back against the tree. "That works too."

Sumi looked slightly annoyed. "Well? Go apologize!" she instructed, pointing after Hotaru.

"Didn't I do that already?" Kouichi groaned, sulking after the girl. _Man…Daisuke would be easier than this! Scratch that. Even _Shinya_ would be easier_.

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Hotaru ran down the hall, eyes lowered to gaze at the floor. _Why am I making such a big deal out of this? But…he seemed so pained when he told me. I don't want to just give Kae up. My dream…hers…I've always wanted a cat_. Hotaru gasped as she tipped to the side. "Oh-s-sorry!" she apologized, quickly gaining her composure and gazing at her victim. "Really, I'm-"

"Well you should be! Ugh…" the other girl rose off the floor. "Damn it…"

"Yumena, wait up, would you?"

"Leave me alone, Itsuma!"

Hotaru watched the girl run off, but was unable to catch a glimpse of her. _Weird…I know that voice_…

"H-hey. Sorry, but that girl you bumped into…"

Surprised, Hotaru rose to her feet and looked to her right to find a breathless boy. "Uh…"

He held his hand out. "I'm Itsuma. You seem kind of familiar…."

"H-Hotaru," the girl murmured, shaking his hand. "I don't know you…"

"Oh! Are you Yumena's sister?"

"Who…?" _Yumena? What?_ Hotaru blinked at him in confusion. "I don't have a sister," she murmured quickly.

Itsuma let out a laugh, letting go of her hand and scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, my bad. Anyway, that girl you bumped into…which way did she go?"

Hotaru pointed to her left. "Girlfriend?"

"…actually, ex, but she denies both." Itsuma fell quiet and gazed at his feet. "Funny story, really."

_I could relate_, Hotaru thought, gazing at the ground pensively.

"Aha! There you are!"

"Eh?" Hotaru whirled around in shock. "K-"

"Kouichi…" Itsuma looked up and frowned.

Eyes wide, Kouichi stopped in his tracks. "I-Itsuma…uh…s-so, I see you two met…" The boy swallowed. _Great. Itsuma isn't the type to spout, but if Yume got to her…no. She doesn't seem weird in any way. Just confused_, he thought, breathing a sigh of relief at Hotaru's expression. "Sorry I couldn't introduce you two earlier. This is Itsuma, Hotaru. Takuya's brother and his are buddies."

"Oh, yeah, I could use another week," Itsuma told Kouichi suddenly.

"Done." _Whether goggle likes it or not_. Kouichi hid a smirk. "So, how'd the talk go."

Itsuma gazed at his feet. "Tell you later. I gotta…talk to Yumena first."

"Too bad she's a girl," Kouichi muttered, glaring at the floor. After a moment of silence he noticed Itsuma's confused gaze and Hotaru's look of disbelief. Kouichi scowled and explained, "To _punch_ her, you perverted girl! To _punch_ her!"

Red-faced, Hotaru snapped, "I didn't say anything!"

"You don't have to! _I_ can read your mind!"

The two continued bickering, completely forgetting the boy who was studying Hotaru intently. "So she _is_…" Itsuma trailed off thoughtfully before looking to Kouichi for a confirmation. When the younger boy nodded, Itsuma inclined his head in Hotaru's direction. "In that case, it was nice meeting you, but I'm sorry to say I hope we never meet again," Itsuma said regretfully and quickly, hoping Hotaru hadn't heard. "Later, Kouichi."

Hotaru watched as Itsuma ran past her. There was an unshakeable feeling that they were hiding something from her. The way the two boys acted around her was just the beginning of the proof. "Okay…" Hotaru murmured. "That was…odd."

"I _told_ you it was too risky."

"Don't start with me! I'm not talking to you anymore!" the girl declared, turning away from Kouichi and folding her arms.

Kouichi sighed, staring at Hotaru as he scanned through his options. _If she wants it,_ he thought with a smirk, spinning around and shoving his hands in his pocket,. "Okay, catch you later." _…she gets it_.

A shocked Hotaru looked over her shoulder, gaping at Kouichi as he walked away. "W-wait!"

"Say what you mean," Kouichi told her. "But sorry. My lunch minutes are up. Have to help Arata with math. I'll tell him you said 'hi'."

"What? NO!" Hotaru yelled, running after Kouichi (who had broken into a run himself). "Don't!" Trying to keep her pace, she followed him around the corner, only to halt in confusion. "Wh-" Hotaru slowly regained her normal breathing pattern as her eyes darted side to side.

_Where did he go_?

---------------------------------------------

A/N-

Wada Kouji is one year older. Makes me happy to know I'm not that old yet. May he have a digimonified rest of the year.

Chapter titles for this chapter and the last have been switched. This chapter seems lacking somehow. Probably because it just isn't clear about Hotaru, "Kae," and the Security Goons. Next chapter clarifies and confuses. I think it's also the big chapter where I can FINALLY tweak the story title.

I posted an experimental Takumi up. It's purely _experimental_. So far I've been getting the results I needed. Hopefully with the help of you guys I can make it into a neatly written Takumi.

Review or PM or Flame if you will.


	9. Snooping

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. If I did, I wouldn't be writing a fanfic like this that contains such a questionable plot.

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Snooping

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The boy let out a sigh of relief, still not daring to move from the door. When the sound of footsteps faded, he whirled around and locked the door. "Sorry I'm la-la-la-what's she doing here?" Kouichi demanded, seeing Yumena seated several desks away from Arata. "Private lesson! Get out!"

The normally quiet Arata spoke up. "That's okay, Kouichi. She won't admit it, but she's in the same boat as me without Heima's help." He paused, noticing Yumena glaring at him. "But anyway, you weren't late. We-or…I was early."

_You guys are more trouble than you're worth_, Kouichi thought, walking over to the front desk and opening Arata's math book. "Hey, Arata, Hotaru says hi."

"Uh…okay…" He could see Arata blushing profusely, though the boy tried to hide it.

"Oh _please_, I can't believe you can't take a _hint_," Yumena snapped, folding her arms and looking away.

Kouichi's eyes narrowed on her. _Haughty aura. Must – ruin – no! Resist now, Kouichi. The opportune moment has yet to reveal itself_. "Oh?"

Arata's eyes widened in realization. Desperately, he began passing a flat hand in front of his neck, as if he were about to chop it off. "Yume-"

"Duh! They've known each other since _kindergarten_, maybe even before!" Yume declared, obviously not getting the message. Her eyes slipped shut, and she continued as if she were reciting something that had been said many times before. "Hotaru's been gaga over him since she first saw him. Even in her di-oh…" Yume's eyes snapped open. "Arata, why didn't you say anything?" Her words came out as surprised squeaks.

"In case you haven't noticed, he passed out trying," Kouichi muttered, helping the dizzy boy to his feet. "So…" Kouichi smirked. "How exactly do you _know_ all of this?"

Arata groaned, falling down to sit on the floor again. "He _knows_," the boy moaned.

"Yep."

"Now look what you've done! Baku'll just get mad at me because you told him Hotaru is-" Arata stopped and looked at Kouichi. "You _don't_ know! That was…tricky…"

_Too smart_, Kouichi thought. _Yume's going silent for good (for now). Arata's seeing through the patterns too easily_. Instead of showing defeat, Kouichi clapped, nodding for absolutely no reason. "Y-eh-hm…" He cleared his throat. "Good job, Arata. Now that you saw through those patterns…perhaps you could solve these problems," he said casually, grabbing the white board marker and quickly scribbling the problems down on the board for the boy to solve.

---------------------------------------------

Kouji. No. No, that's not Kouji…is it? It's Kouji? It is…

_There was something…a shelf, Kouichi realized_. _He corrected himself a second later_.

Display case, _he told himself_. There's something on the bottom…

_A pearly light_. _Dark all around him_, _only he could see his brother_. _Kouji_. _Kouji was choking_.

_Choking_.

_Kouichi watched his brother fall to his knees, hands around his throat_. _His eyes were glued to the bottom of the display case_, _and slowly_, _a hand reached out_, _pressing against the glass of the case_.

'_Don't…let them…get it_,' _Kouji breathed, his whole palm pressed against the glass_.

Kouichi sat up expecting to be in bed. He recalled the last part of his dream so vividly…

…that frightening thought…

…he refused to lose another person.

"Mr. Kimura, if you would grace us with your dream…?"

He looked up to find Mr. Kanemaru gazing at him expectantly, a whiteboard marker in hand. Kouichi smiled smugly.

"I'm sorry," he apologized slowly, "I must have gotten knocked out by the intense whiteboard marker fumes. Maybe the pen in your hand is getting old. You know, owner influence?"

The class erupted into laughter, and Mr. Kanemaru turned around, red-faced as he continued writing down the rest of the problem. Kouichi sat back in his seat with a sigh.

_Saved for now_…

---------------------------------------------

"So sue me. It's not like you were using the old thing anyway," Kouichi declared.

"That gives you _no_ right to steal it!"

"Borrowed," corrected the older twin. "Just tell Dad and Satomi I'm over at a friend's house for the weekend. Arata _really_ needs that studying…oh, and don't forget the dog. Listen, I _know_ he ate your homework _literally_, but he's got his rights. Take 'em to Daisuke at the goggle head's if you need help."

"But Kouichi, it isn't the dog that's the problem, it's-"

"Bye, Kouji," he snapped, flipping the phone shut. _Ridiculous_. "Okay, covered," he said, meeting Heima's cold gaze with an equally icy look of his own.

Itsuma and Arata exchanged wary glances. "Okay," Itsuma began. "Let's break this down. Uh…" He began to scratch the back of his head. "Mon, this is awkward."

Nodding in agreement, Arata gazed at the ground as he explained, "I'm sure Yume already told you about how we're collected special stuff…? Well, we've got ten of the eleven necessary artifacts. I'm going to assume Yume didn't tell you exactly what our talon covers, because she's never been anything close to thorough. Our talon does the easiest work, in my opinion. All we have to do is search and recover the artifacts. If the latter is too complex for us, Heima's talon takes over. At the moment, though, the last artifact is…"

"…being difficult," Itsuma offered, seeing the other boy was unable to find the words. "Baku told us – or rather Yume – that it's a music box. As to why we need a music box-"

"A Pandora's box," Heima corrected softly. "You are well-learned in Greek mythology are you not?"

Kouichi sent him an irritable look and snapped, "This is Japan. What does _Greek_ mythology have to do with us?"

A sigh escaped Heima. "I knew today's schools were lacking something."

"So are _you_," Kouichi offered dryly. "It's called _sarcasm_. Comprendo?"

Arata frowned. "Isn't it-"

Kouichi quickly told him, "I don't know, I don't care. Yes, I know about Pandora's box. Zeus had Hephaestus make Pandora, Hera gave her curiosity, and she was given to the guy with the box. The guy hid it and…" He frowned. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything and nothing, depending on who you are," Heima returned. "That isn't half of the story."

"Yeah…uh…Zeus had the entire Pandora thing happen because of the Prometheus and fire incident," Itsuma murmured. "Gave her to Prometheus' brother."

"Again, what does this have to do with anything?" Kouichi retorted with a scowl.

"_This_ Pandora's box gives its opener what they want. To those who don't know of its secrets, it's a music box. To those who do, it is said to hold the power to either bring peace or destruction to the world." Everyone turned to the owner of the voice. Yume stood by the door, eyes narrowed on the boys. "But only _two_ people are able to open it."

"And they are…?" Kouichi prompted for the girl to continue.

Yume smiled smugly. "Classified," she declared, walking over and plopping down in the empty seat between Heima and Arata. "Itsuma, you'll take _him-_" she pointed to Kouichi and continued, "and go to the given coordinates to search for it. And try to keep noise down to a low this time."

_Dare I ask?_ Kouichi hid a grin and asked, "What happened _last_ time?"

Arata reddened as Itsuma mumbled, "We kind of…sort of…"

"Arata broke half the items in the store chasing after the kid with the artifact, and Itsuma broke even more trying to stop the mess Arata was making," Yume said, offering no mercy.

_Ouch_. "What are the other ten artifacts?"

"Nothing you need to know about. Itsuma, get going. Arata, come with me," Yume snapped, rising to her feet. "Get back here before dinner."

"'Get back here before dinner,'" Kouichi mimicked, making a face as Heima and Arata followed Yume out of the room. "But…" Sighing, he sat back and gazed warily at Itsuma. "You…can fill me in about your dad on the way."

Itsuma nodded slowly as he rose to his feet. "And perhaps you could answer a few questions?" he suggested, raising an eyebrow.

Kouichi just smirked.

---------------------------------------------

"I already told you this much. Dad's always drunk, never home. I have work, school _and_ this to deal with. I would always leave Daisuke at the mansion whenever something happened at home. You came and I realized it was a bad idea. Truth be told, Yume used to love Daisuke. I don't really know what happened to her. And you know for sure that Arata's known her for longer." Itsuma paused to sigh. "So I took your advice and talked to Dad just because I don't want to bother you any more than necessary."

_It was better than listening to Kouji snore at night_, Kouichi thought. _Little kids sleep through anything_. "Eh, well…more like Takuya's burdened. But he isn't; he owes me a lot." _I saved him from over half of Kouji's scams. You'd think they'd learn_.

Itsuma shrugged. "It makes no difference. Dad and I settled a few things out yesterday. Really, though…Kouichi…I _owe_ you. And it's probably hard for you too, huh?"

"Wh-what?" Kouichi sputtered, eyes widening. _Does he…_?

The older boy looked up at the sky. Sighing, Itsuma murmured, "I guess…we're all alike in one way or another…right?" A faint smile appeared on his lips as he turned to look at Kouichi. "We're here."

Trying to keep calm, Kouichi whirled around, pinching his cheeks and pulling on them again and again despite the pain. When at last he felt tears travel down his cheeks, Kouichi dropped his hands to his side, only after furiously wiping his eyes. _Calm down Kouichi, calm_, he told himself, turning back around and entering the shop.

Itsuma was already inside, gazing at a shelf full of little odds and ends. "Hey…can you find the music boxes…? I need to check something."

"S-sure," Kouichi muttered, slowly making his way toward the center of the store. _This'll get my mind off of things. Feh…this is the day…me, of all people, walking through this…this _jewelry _store_.

"Kouichi!"

The boy froze. _It really _is _the day_, he lamented, cringing as he turned around to find Kouji behind him. "H-hello…my wonderfully irksome twin."

"You can't get away by using big words! I thought you were at Arata's!"

"Yeah…Itsuma dragged me to find something for his girlfriend. And you?" Kouichi asked, turning to a nearby shelf and sorting through the items (which happened to be teapots of all kinds) so as to not look suspicious (which he guessed he did anyway, as he was sorting through _teapots_).

"So…you're…looking through _teapots_?" Kouji inquired, trying not to snort.

The older twin glared at his brother irritably. "Well _I_ don't know what to get a girl! I'm _single_, FYI."

"Guess that means if I ask you for help with getting a present for Sumi you can't help…?" Kouji sighed and turned around to slouch. "I can't figure out what she'll like."

This was where Kouichi realized he hadn't been playing his part correctly. A devious smile crept onto his lips as he whirled around and placed a hand on his brother's back, slowly dragging the younger twin towards the music boxes.

"I can help you there…" Kouichi pushed his brother to the side and gazed at the music box in front of him. "I know she'll like one of these," he muttered, frowning as he pushed aside a few to look at the music boxes in the far back.

"Hey…you're right!" Kouji's fist slammed itself lightly into the palm of his other hand. "She told me she wanted this one music box from this store. But…" The depressed look returned. "It's expensive…"

_Could it be…?_ "Show me," Kouichi demanded, poking his brother in the stomach viciously.

Scowling, Kouji led his brother to a display and knelt down. He pointed to the lowest shelf of the cabinet and said, "Thirty thousand yen."

"Done!" Kouichi snapped, pulling his wallet out and shoving the money into his brother's hands. "Buy it. No…wait…" Kouichi pushed his brother aside and gazed through the glass, shivering at what he saw. _This is_…_my dream?_ He swallowed as he rose to his feet. _Then let's turn this organization around_. "Yeah…she'll _really_ like it," he said, his words coming out dry and unconvincing.

"What's the catch?"

Brother stared at brother. "What?" Kouichi asked blankly.

"What's the catch?" Kouji repeated, glancing suspiciously at the money in his hands.

"You'll be doing me a favor by buying it, believe me. I won't have to listen to your pathetic whining about your relation with Sumi. Just…don't tell anyone I told you to buy it, and I'll _gladly_ give you the money," Kouichi said in a low voice, yanking his brother up off the floor. "I'll even do your homework next week."

Kouji brightened. "Really?"

"No. That costs one thousand yen."

"Fine. Let me go get someone to open this thing," Kouji muttered, wandering off.

Kouichi let out a sigh of relief and sank to the floor. _Good. Now all I have to do is find the other ten artifacts_.

"Hey."

"WHA-!"

Itsuma stood in front of him. Frowning, Itsuma asked, one eyebrow raised, "Resting on the job…?"

Quickly, the younger boy scrambled to his feet and shook his head. "N-no. My brother was here, so I thought I'd help him out a bit. Can't find a present for his girlfriend even with the two eyes he has," Kouichi laughed, hoping he didn't seem as anxious as he felt. There was a bubbling feeling in the pit of his stomach that churned over and over as he thought, _I wonder if he can tell I'm lying_.

Even if he knew, nothing was said about the matter. "That's cool," Itsuma said instead, gazing behind him at the music boxes. "Yume says the alarm'll go off on our readers after a while. It'll take a few minutes."

_Damn_. Kouichi gazed at the display case behind him and cringed. "In that case…we have to get Kouji out of before he starts asking stupid questions!" Kouichi declared, pushing Itsuma towards the shelves of music boxes. "You look, I'll get rid of…Kouji…uh…" He swallowed. "Nice to see you again…" _Double damn_, Kouichi thought, putting on a fake smile at the sight of his twin with a clerk behind him.

Kouji turned to the lady behind him. "Uh…the music box on the bottom, please. And ignore _that_ guy," the bandana boy said with a grin "He's just jealous I look better."

"WHAT?" Kouichi yelled, glaring at his brother. He opened his mouth, ready to retort, but stopped, seeing the chuckling clerk take out the music box and hand it to Kouji. For a split second, he remained calm, his eyes focused on the extreme detail of the music box. _Operation: Pandora…complete_. Quickly, Kouichi turned back to Itsuma. "Let's find it and _go_!" he hissed, pushing Itsuma back towards the more common, cheap music boxes. Kouji had made it to checkout by now.

Itsuma proved rather difficult to budge. Staring at his reader, he informed the other boy, "Kouichi, it's coming from _that_ direction."

He was pointing to where Kouji was.

It had to work. It had to work, or he had just put his very blood in danger.

He acted in a split second. _Release 'Crazy Kouichi prototype one_.' "_Whaaaat_?" His hands fumbled frantically with his reader as he pulled the item out of his pocket and gazed at the disc. There was a grid, and on it was a large, red dot. _Fine, be that way_, he thought, glaring childishly as he flipping it around. "You're mistaken, Itsuma, it's coming from the other direction," he said loudly, certainly receiving many, many stares.

"Kouichi–"

He jabbed a finger at the cheap music boxes. "From that way."

"Kouichi, turn it around," Itsuma said patiently.

"I'm reading it correctly!" Kouichi insisted, looking up.

"Kouichi!" Itsuma snapped, grabbing the boy by the shoulders. "What do you think you're doing?"

He dropped the act. Kouichi pushed Itsuma away and shook his head. "What I should have been doing a while ago." He pocketed his reader and apologized. "My opinion doesn't change so easily." Reluctantly, he turned around, just in time to watch his brother exit the shop.

Itsuma remained quiet. When they finally walked out of the shop a few slow seconds later, any signal of the box had disappeared. They could only head back. And they did; nice and slow, just as the air around them felt.

The older boy released a heavy sigh. "Your brother…doesn't know about any of this, huh?"

"Not at all. Wouldn't dream of telling him," Kouichi said. As they kept walking, he found himself divulging information he never dreamed of spewing out. "He'll give it to his girlfriend," he said, talking about Kouji and the box. "She's the cousin of the guy who's taking care of Daisuke. And because they all live under the same roof…" He sighed and his hands tugged at the ends of his hairs. "I'm really sorry to drag you into this, Itsuma. The only one who'll recover it is me, because I brought it upon them. I…really don't want to talk to Yumena. Just…tell her that if Baku sends one of the assassin or whatnot groups to retrieve it, I won't hesitate to tear his pretty mansion down," Kouichi swore quietly. There was a pause. "I'm sorry, Itsuma."

Nodding, Itsuma murmured, "It's okay. You have to do what you have to do. Actually, Kouichi…" He trailed off, hesitant on the matter of continuing his sentence.

"Yeah?"

_Better not encourage him_, Itsuma thought, smiling inwardly. "Nothing," he said instead. _But really_…_thanks_.

---------------------------------------------

"What do you mean you didn't get it?" Yumena screeched.

Kouichi let out a sigh. "Exactly what we said. Someone must've gotten to it before us. Poor people. Tsk…tsk…" He shook his head and turned to head for the main hall door. "I'm gonna go take a quick nap before dinner."

"YOU DON'T DESERVE DINNER!"

"Calm down!" Itsuma snapped. "It wasn't _our_ fault the reader took forever to load the scanner. The alarm didn't even go off! It's completely faulty, and you expect us to work _faultlessly?_"

_Lover's spat_, Kouichi thought, trudging slowly towards his room. Their voices faded away even slower. "Man, today stunk. Or…rather…_mon_," he muttered, suddenly feeling awkward. "Huh…did this place get bigger?" he wondered aloud, standing in front of the door to his room. _Or maybe I never realized how large it is until now_. Shrugging, he threw open the door and immediately shut it.

_That's not right_, Kouichi thought, gazing at his door in shock.

"Y-YUMENA!" he shouted, whirling around and storming back to the entrance of the hall where he found Itsuma and Yumena. Hands clenched at his sides, Kouichi demanded through gritted teeth, "What are you doing to my room?"

"Well, you said you wanted a kitchen, didn't you?" Itsuma asked in return.

"Asked?" Kouichi frowned. "No, I _thought_ that. I never said anything…did I?" He just shrugged. _Log it away, Kouichi. Remember it for next time_.

Folding her arms and looking away, Yumena asked icily, "This is what you asked Baku for, isn't it?"

His frown deepened. _Now this definitely can't be overlooked_. "How could I," he asked in an equally rude tone, "when I don't even _know_ the guy?"

"What?" Yumena and Itsuma stared at him incredulously. Then, slowly recovering, Yume insisted, "H-he said…but…you…Baku told me you wanted a kitchen. He said you asked him!"

_When will she actually bother to _listen? "I. Don't. Know. Who. Baku. Is. Got it? Comprendo? Comprende? Comprenda? Understand? Savvy? Comprehend? W–" Kouichi paused and shook his head. "Maybe someone else asked him. But thanks, I was planning on getting a kitchen anyway. Saves me the trouble. Just…next time, tell them _not_ to break my locks and replace my doorknob. I pay for them, you know." He was fuming inwardly. Absolutely anxious, furious, scared. And all he could tell himself was, _Act cool. Act calm. Log it away and keep it in mind for next time. For now, keep calm_. "Are they almost done?" he asked, lacing his fingers together behind his head.

Yumena grabbed his right hand in her own, and Itsuma's left in another. "_After_ I finish yelling at you two for failing!" she scowled, dragging them to the entrance hall and ushering them towards the couch. "Do you have any idea how long it will take before we can locate it again? It's ridiculous! You blew it! You totally _blew_ it!"

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The persistent knock refused to stop. Growling, he reluctantly rose to his feet and answered the door with a yawn.

"Don't tell me you aren't hungry," Itsuma said, seeing Kouichi slowly trudge back towards the bed and fall face flat on the mattress.

The boy just snorted. Lifting his head and turning it to the side to look at Itsuma, he returned, "I have a kitchen. I can cook for myself. You think I'd trust Yumena, Heima, or anyone else to cook for me? For all I know, they could poison me." He rolled over onto his back. "Why don't you join me for dinner?" he suggested.

Itsuma didn't bother to hide his grin. "It might be poisoned," he joked, ignoring the irritable glare Kouichi threw his way. "Besides, I wouldn't miss the pie for anything in the world."

Kouichi sat up and scowled. "I could make a pie better than any of the pies they can cook!"

"I'll test that sometime!" Itsuma laughed. Slowly, the amusement faded. "But Kouichi…you've got a job tonight. Yume'll be briefing you and Arata on it during dinner, so you _have_ to come."

"I don't 'have to' _anything_, Itsuma" Kouichi corrected quietly. "And I know you know what she'll be saying. Stay…" His eyes narrowed on the older boy. "Won't you?"

Letting out a sigh, Itsuma nodded. "I figured. So…I snatched your copy of the briefing. But like I told you, I'd _never_ miss the pie." He broke into a grin as he threw the folder to Kouichi.

Kouichi frowned at the folder he caught in his hands. "And like _I _told _you_…I can make a better pie any day." He quickly lost interest in Itsuma's presence. When he finally looked up to thank the other boy, Kouichi discovered Itsuma had left.

_Pie is evil_, Kouichi concluded, returning his attention to the item in his hands. It was a plain manila folder. Opening it up, Kouichi saw the briefing was indeed _brief_, completely to the point that it was a waste of paper to print. A smirk slowly formed as he scanned through the single paragraph on the page. "Well, well…" _Here's my chance to shine_!

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"Where is he?" Yume demanded as Itsuma took his seat. "Lagging behind?"

Shaking his head, Itsuma informed her, "He thinks the food is poisoned."

The girl's eyes widened. "What? Why would we do that?"

"Why would we _not_ do that?" Arata returned. "I think it makes sense."

Her eyes narrowed on him. "You seem better, don't you Arata? Ready to talk to Hotaru?" Yumena sneered.

Arata let out a sigh. "I don't _get_ it. What's so funny about that?"

Chuckling, Itsuma took a bite of his dinner, swallowing before he told the other boy, "You really need to get out a bit more."

"Still don't get it…"

"Yumena!" Heima suddenly snapped. "Briefing."

The girl nodded. Turning to Arata, Yume began, "You see, we have…rivals, it seems. They say they have an artifact that we do. I want you and Kouichi to go meet them. We plan to take their artifact whether it's real or not. Baku wants to crush their spirits so they won't even think of competing with us."

Arata nodded, slowly taking the matter in fact by fact. "Do you know which?"

"No. You'll be taking a bag full of marbles to act as our artifact. Baku even thinks they might be fakers."

"Black cloaks?"

"Most definitely."

"Pocket or bracelet?"

"Bracelet."

"Where and when?"

"The alley behind the candy store at eight-thirty, because they have to go to bed at nine."

Arata rose an eyebrow and turned to Itsuma, who had started on his dessert. "Bed at nine, huh? Hey, Itsuma, Daisuke goes to bed at nine, doesn't he?"

"Yep. Man, I waited all day for this pie…" Itsuma dug in quickly.

_Patterns_. _He told me everything is a pattern_. _I wonder if it's what I think_. "Alright. I'll get the cloaks and then Kouichi." Arata gazed at his untouched food as he rose to his feet. As he walked to his own room, he smiled softly to himself. _I think I'm starting to see it_…

---------------------------------------------

"Marbles, huh? We should return these to Baku. He might need them," Kouichi insisted with his most serious look on as he looked up at his partner and pushed off the crates stacked against the back wall of the alley. They were early, it seemed, for there was no sign of the so-called 'rivals.'

Arata bit his lip, trying not to laugh. "Here," he murmured, throwing a cloak to Kouichi.  
"Then we can actually get on with it."

"Aw, come on. They'll be a no-show," Kouichi insisted, throwing on the cloak. "This really stinks."

"Yumena's orders."

"No…I mean…it stinks. Do you guys _wash_ this?"

Arata slapped his forehead in exasperation. _Itsuma_. "Alright, take out your reader," he said instead, taking out his own.

"Oh! Disc-thing," Kouichi said after a straight minute of silence. Quickly (technically slow, but quick considering his handicap) he took out his reader and held it out.

"Press _this_ button," Arata instructed, pointing to the long, thin button under the screen of his own reader, "and it'll change into this!" What he held out in his left hand was now a dull gray metal coil with the reader mounted on top.

_Odd…really._ Kouichi pressed the button on his own reader out of sheer curiosity. It was a laugh. "What a fashion statement." _I wonder how much I can make off this_…

"The slot is over here…and the rest of the functions are the same. And it can spin around, too, for easier access to the slot," Arata added, motioning to random buttons. Kouichi was lost; it didn't help that Arata spun the reader around several times. "It's supposed to be easier to work with during battle."

"Battles…" Kouichi gazed at the bracelet. "Uh huh…and no place to put the cards?"

"We're working on it!"

_Me and my big mouth_. Kouichi shrugged and shoved his cards (which had been taken out along with his reader) into the pocket of the cloak. "Ooh, I hear someone!" Kouichi whispered excitedly, pulling his hood on.

"Probably them," Arata murmured, pulling up his own hood.

"There you are! You're late!" The speaker turned out to be short, his deep voice cracking every other word as he asked, "Do you have the artifact?" He wore a cloak similar to that of Kouichi's and Arata's.

"Do _you_?" Kouichi returned in a deeper, more threatening voice. _Funny, I think I'd know that voice anywhere_…

A second cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows to stand beside the first, holding in his hands a small cardboard box. It was easy for Kouichi to hide his smirk with the hood on and (despite its smell) he was grateful for the cloak. Trying to maintain his intimidating presence, he walked forward and paused in front of the two. "_Well_?" he demanded in a hiss.

"Here!" Frightened, the second figure thrust the box up into Kouichi's face so quickly the taller boy had to take a step back to avoid getting hit.

…_And I was right_, Kouichi thought as he stepped towards the two again. _I'd know that voice anywhere_. His hand reached for the box, but quickly turned towards the first figure, yanking the hood off. "_Shinya_," Kouichi growled, dropping his deep voice act (but not the hood). He didn't bother to look at the second figure. "Shinya, and Daisuke. Are you two _insane?_ What if they sent actual assassins?" He quickly seized Shinya's wrist before the young boy could run away. "You better have a good reason…"

"Kouichi…you know him?" Arata pulled off his hood and stared at the struggling Shinya in surprise.

"Remember Takuya in our class? This runt's his brother," Kouichi informed his companion coolly while twisting Shinya's arm behind his back. "Take a seat. You too, Daisuke." Kouichi motioned to the wooden crates beside them, shoved Shinya in their direction, then yanked off his hood.

"You know," Shinya laughed, scrambling onto a crate, "It's a funny story, really! I mean, we were just…just…uh, help me out here, Daisuke!" He hissed this last part frantically, trying to avoid the dangerous glare Kouichi focused in his direction.

Trembling, Daisuke removed his hood and inched his way to Kouichi. "I…I didn't mean…Shinya didn't…I'm sorry," Daisuke mumbled, hanging his head in shame.

Kouichi let out a sigh when he looked at Daisuke, then placed a hand on the boy's head, ruffling his hair a bit. _I wonder if he's doing this little innocent act on purpose_, he wondered, kneeling down after withdrawing his hand. "Look," he told the boy, "You can't expect that you'll be safe just meddling with groups like these. It's like dealing with the yakuza, except without the motorcycles and baseball bats–"

"Kouichi, that's not true–" Arata began.

"–and I don't want to know how you know," Kouichi returned. "The point is you need to think before you act. And even if you did _already_ think this out, you two are too small of a rebel force, don't you think? So tell me what's going on."

Daisuke's eyes fell to the ground after meeting Kouichi's eyes for a brief moment. "Shinya found out," he mumbled. "It was an accident, but then…I _had_ to tell him…so he said we should…stop Baku, b-but…"

He couldn't help but smile. He was smiling, and Daisuke was on the verge of crying. It was absolutely evil of him, he knew. Kouichi just shook his head when Daisuke stared at him, speechless and ready to bawl. "Y'know," he said quietly, his hand falling on the boy's head again as he rose to his feet, "although I _love_ how you two think…" He was grinning ear to ear now. _No, that's not possible_, Kouichi thought, snorting at the thought. "…although I love how you two think," he started again, "defeating old man Baku is my job, okay? No more interfering, no more blabbing. I don't even _want_ to know how you got Daisuke to tell you," he said loudly, glaring in Shinya's direction. "Both of you…go home now."

Shinya and Daisuke exchanged glances. Then, pointing to one another, they told Kouichi in unison, "We don't know how to get back."

His hand slapped his forehead in disbelief. "Uh…Arata…you don't mind if…"

"No, no…I'll come with you, if that's okay," Arata offered.

Kouichi grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Alright, you two, let's get you…home…"

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Takuya stood at the doorway, blinking at the robed Kouichi. "Uh…so…let's go over this again. You guys were filming a movie…?"

"Yeah. Itsuma's homework. Daisuke must've told Shinya or something. Guess they got carried away." Kouichi lied easily, as if it were another day.

"Uh…huh. What kind of movie?"

"Harry Potter–" Arata began.

"We were the dementors!" Shinya declared loudly from behind his brother.

Takuya blinked. "Oh…I…think…?"

"Really? That's new!" Kouichi exclaimed innocently. Then, as fast as he could, he said, "Alright we need to get back to filming, and you need sleep, got to go bye!" The next second, Kouichi had successfully pushed Takuya in and pulled the door shut. Without second thoughts, he turned around and ran, Arata at his heel.

"That," Kouichi breathed, "was close. Do we report to _her_ now?" He snuck a glance over his shoulder long enough to see Arata nod. "Good. I'll do the talking."

_Yeah, I think I'm seeing a pattern_. _And it isn't that I keep getting cut off every time I try to speak_, Arata thought with a frown. They both slowed to a brisk walking pace. _Itsuma and Daisuke split. Daisuke telling someone else about Baku, that someone being the brother of a classmate and friend of Kouichi…and yet…it _starts _with him too. Why is it that since he came, we've proved ourselves to be successful _idiots _instead of hardworking people_? _He makes us look so_…_small_…

Kouichi returned Arata's observant gaze with a confused look. "Something wrong?" he asked.

_He's mature, but he acts like a spoiled toddler sometimes_. _I don't get him_. _I give up_, Arata decided, closing his eyes. He shook his head, hoping all the thoughts would float away. "Nothing. Just wondering what to tell Lady Yumena," he lied, biting his tongue a second later in realization of his mistake. _Does he_…?

But Kouichi just gave him a weird look. "I _told_ you," the boy said somewhat impatiently, "_I'll_ take care of the talking!"

"This can't be good…"

"What?" Kouichi exclaimed as they reached the door. "Come on, even Mr. Kanemaru can't tell if I'm lying or not! I'm just _that_ goo–_not_ that I'm going to lie," he added hastily. _Could I get anymore comfortable behind enemy lines? What other secrets did I give away_?

Arata shook his head in disbelief. _Lying through his teeth_.

Clearing his throat, Kouichi threw the door open. "We're back, and there's nothing you can do to make me say home!" he shouted, taking his cards and reader out before taking off and throwing the robes to the floor. "_Helloooo_? Anyone ho-horse?"

"Good save," Arata muttered.

"Thank you," Kouichi returned dryly. "Looks like they're busy…_Ah_, well. We can have some victory dessert. I have some purin waiting for me in the fridge…and I'm sure there's lots more stuff too…" He trailed off as they made their way down the hall.

"Wow…you filled the fridge already?"

"Nah, it was already filled, but most of the stuff looked disgusting, rotten, or poisoned. Mostly the latter. I had to throw a _lot_ away…that is, to the compost. Satomi has this thing for gardening. I have to buy stuff tomorrow, though, mission or no…" Kouichi stopped in front of his room and frowned. "I spent a whole hour and a half installing the stupid lock again," he muttered to himself, opening the door with a sigh. "An-n-new…whatcha?"

Even Arata could only gawk, seeing the new furniture in the room. The bed looked a lot more like his own bed at home, the table was larger…there was a table in the kitchen…so much. "Wow…did you ask Baku for this, too?" he asked in awe.

…_Two more chairs, a new stool, the small table is still there…there's another desk_. _Huh, I guess I can use that for Daisuke_, Kouichi thought, swallowing. He was unsure of what to think of himself. "Uh…let me…get you that purin," Kouichi said quickly, feeling his legs turn to jelly as he approached the refrigerator. _Someone…touched my fridge. Who?_ He swallowed again as he opened the fridge, left eye twitching. "Wh-who…touched…_my food_?" he hissed, taking out the lone purin that was left and glaring at it. "Hey, Arata, I'll give you a blank check on that victory dinner. Do you mind?"

"Something wrong?" Arata asked, walking over.

"Yeah." Kouichi's eyes narrowed on the purin he held. "_Snoops_."

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A/N-

I'm sure you're all tired of hearing this: No excuse for not updating. I'm behind in everything, my classes are killing me…lame excuses. Sorry for any mistakes in the chapter. Tell me, would you, if there are any?

**PURIN**: A custard-like Japanese pudding dessert eaten with toppings such as caramel, cream, etc. This definition was stolen from somebody. If you are that somebody, thanks a bunch. It is yummy, purin is. If you need a visual, it's the stuff Kero eats in Cardcaptor Sakura. I made some a few days ago after discovering a Japanese market with it…and…

Daifuku. Is. Good. I don't know about mochi, but daifuku beats dango (but dango is good too). If you have no idea what the heck I'm talking about and just want to try them, do so (they're all yummy anyway) but daifuku is KING.

Since I've started this fic I've forgotten my original plans for the story. Hopefully I can fix that from this chapter on (too much work at the moment to go back and fix each and every chapter).

_Thank you ever so much for the reviews_: **GemmaniGirl**, **Ritachi**, **koyuki kimura**

Do what you will, preferably: Review, PM, or Flame.


	10. Falling

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. In fact, I don't own a lot of things.

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Falling

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"I'm not getting out of bed! You can't make me," Kouichi groaned, covering his head with his pillow. "I'll _kill_ you if you bug me now."

The knocking on his door stopped. "Kouichi, Baku'll _skin_ us if you don't get up!" Itsuma snapped.

"Then I'll skin him. Go away!"

"Get up or I'll send _Yumena_ in!"

"Go ahead!" Kouichi shouted, pulling the covers over his head. "Lousy people…waking me up at seven…I have a good thirty minutes!" Kouichi muttered before trying to fall back into a comatose state.

Just as his eyes were drooping, Itsuma knocked again. "She's coming in…"

Kouichi stuck a hand out, rolling over onto his stomach and reaching to his right. He placed a hand on the cards that were stacked on his desk and muttered, "Chuumon."

The mouse appeared by his bedside, unaware of Kouichi. "I'm _free_!" the digimon sang, "Free!!! Now…where's…Sukamon?"

"Shut it," Kouichi snapped, his words muffled by the bed sheets.

Chuumon looked appalled. "H-huh? Who said that? I-I'll have you know, I–"

"WAKE UP KIMURA!" Yumena shouted, throwing the door open. "I'm going to–" Yumena suddenly came to a stop, scared speechless by the sight of Chuumon. "I…I-I…"

"'I'm going to' _what?_" Kouichi scowled, throwing off the covers and sitting up. "I'll let you know what _I'm_ going to do. Chuumon, take it away."

"EEEEEEK!!!" Kouichi covered his ears with his pillow and the blanket, and it _still_ wasn't enough to escape the shrillness of Yumena's scream. She didn't stop screaming either, but kept at it as Chuumon approached her, until finally she just ran out of the room, slamming the door shut.

"Come on!" the mouse cried. "Just _one_ kiss…"

"Chuumon, get back into your card, Kouichi snapped, throwing his pillow back on the bed. "I'd kind of like to sleep."

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_It wasn't too large_, _perhaps twice the size of him_. _It was red, green plates lining its spine_. _Black stripes covered red along the bottom of the dinosaur's feet and forearms._

_Kouichi had never seen teeth so large_.

_A giant Tyrannosaurus Rex_, _saliva dripping from its somewhat pearly-whites_.

Kouichi woke up with no complaint, sitting up and throwing the covers forward. His eyes opened immediately, he held his breath.

"Dinosaurs…I never liked them," he muttered. _Maybe it was a bad idea to oversleep_.

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"I hear you caused quite the ruckus in the morning," Arata laughed.

Kouichi just scowled. "Get a bag, would you?" he asked, looking at the oranges skeptically. _To get or not to get_…?

Handing him a bag, Arata told Kouichi, "I'm amazed Yumena even let you sleep in. Last time Itsuma tried, she nearly murdered him."

"Let's say…it pays to be friends with a mouse," Kouichi said, not in the mood for idle chatter. He picked up an egg carton and frowned. _No good_. _Milk expires too soon, too_. _I picked a bad day for shopping_, he thought, reaching out to place the carton back.

Someone bumped into him, causing the carton to fly out of his hand. Kouichi winced at the sight of the carton in a puddle of broken eggs. _Pick up on isle…what isle is it?_ _Never mind that_, he thought, eyes narrowing. _Who did that?_ He turned around to find Arata on the floor.

"What happened?"

"Those guys…" Arata stood up slowly and shook his head. "Never mind. Let's hurry."

Kouichi nodded, staring at Arata, then at the group of boys turning into the baby food section. "So…who are they?" he asked quietly, pulling out his wallet and handing the money for the eggs to the employee cleaning the mess (and it took a while before the man finally accepted the money; Kouichi had to threaten him several times).

"No one," Arata insisted. "Let's just go."

"Yeah, no one…let me just get some _baby_ food," Kouichi snapped, storming over to the said section. "Hey, moron! Yes, you ugly!" Kouichi spat. "Get over here. I have something to tell you." His blood was in a boil, and he didn't even know why.

There were four boys. One of them turned around, smirking at the sight of Kouichi. Grinning back at his friends, he stepped forward. "Sorry, didn't hear ya. What'd you say?"

"_Moron_," Kouichi repeated heatedly, throwing a punch at the boy and hitting his cheek, sending him staggering back to his friends. "Listen up. You owe me for the eggs. No use crying over spilt milk, they say, but this isn't milk, it's _egg_. They alley behind the candy store, _midnight_!" Kouichi snapped, pointing at the boy. He dropped his hand and looked at passers-by, quickly bowing in apology. "Sorry to bother you all. Good day," he said quickly before dashing to Arata. "Let's go," he said, not waiting even a second for the boy to catch up to him.

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"You _what_? Baku is going to _kill_ us!" Yumena screamed. "First you wake up late, then you challenge our best assassin to a midnight duel? And for goodness sakes, why did you ask Baku for groceries?"

"Does it matter? Yes, I challenged the moron, and I _never asked Baku for anything_. I've never talked to the guy. How could I ask someone I've never seen for groceries, or a kitchen or new furniture?" Kouichi snarled. "You're all _really_ getting on my nerves. It's tempting to think about decimating the place with Duskmon!" He drew a deep breath, then let it out through gritted teeth. "I swear, bother me _one more time_…"

"I'm telling Baku!" Yume screamed.

Perhaps he _was_ really just crying over spilt milk. But what mattered was that it was _his_ spilt milk, no one else's.

"That's it!" Kouichi pulled out his deck. "Ogremon!"

Yumena's eyes widened. "Lillymon!"

"I'm not done! Vegiemon! RedVegiemon! Impmon, Chuumon, and Sukamon! Make her life miserable!"

Yumena shrieked. "You wouldn't!"

"I AM!" Kouichi spat, turning around and heading for the door. The digimon were back to cards, safe in his hands. _What is _wrong_ with me? I need to calm down_…

…_I think _that _is happening again_…

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He had been reading for three straight hours without a thought to himself. It was only another twenty minutes later, when Kouichi finished the book, that he thought anything. And it wasn't very nice, either.

_Stupid Nathaniel_. _Trying to play hero, that's dumb_. _If he hadn't _tried _being nice, then maybe_…

Kouichi put down the book and frowned. Standing up and leaving the book lying there on the table, he muttered, "Stupid book."

Continuing down the stairs of the library and approaching the exit, he decided to come to terms with himself. He had had a somewhat enjoyable time reading, but that didn't make up for the foul mood he was in now, especially when he realized he was somewhat like the main character of the book he read, only more annoying, less 'romantic,' and less selfish (of course, this part was debatable).

"I better find out what I should use against that guy," he told himself with a sigh, digging his hands into his pocket as he walked out of the library. Although, now that he thought about it, it would be fun to just fall asleep and _not_ go, just to tick Yumena off.

"Hey!"

_Why can't people just shut up? Honestly, yelling in public_…

"Excuse me!"

Kouichi froze at the sight of a smiling girl standing in front of him, eyes shut. _You've got to be kidding_, he thought, the edges of his mouth twitching as he fought back the urge to laugh. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to answer. "Yes?"

She opened her eyes, and Kouichi was immediately reminded of Yumena. "I was wondering if you could help me."

A sigh escaped his lips. Kouichi folded his arms. "With what?" he asked, trying to sound patient.

"Well, there were these guys picking on me…" Her pointer finger was running across his arm. "And I figured someone as strong as you could stop them," she added.

All in all, Kouichi decided if she wanted to act as Yumena, he might as well treat her like Yumena. It was only fair to Yumena. He smiled (but smirked inwardly), grabbed both of her hands, pulled her towards him.

"Flirting will get you nowhere."

The smile on her face fell while his grew into a smirk. She didn't give up, though.

"Well, are you going to help?" she asked, pulling her hands away. She took two steps back and glared at Kouichi.

"I don't like the look you're giving me. Moreover, there's a fee of one thousand yen per person I have to beat up," Kouichi joked (though he sounded completely serious). His expression had been serious until the last few words, at which he had to turn himself around so as to not give himself away.

"Let's cut to the chase, boy."

Oh, she was finally serious.

"What do you want, kid?" Kouichi retorted. He could really care less if she was older. She was shorter than him, and that was all he took into consideration while thinking up his retaliation.

"The boss wants me to put you in your place. We don't care if you're in Yumena's talon. We're under Heima. Keep that in mind, boy," she snapped.

Kouichi just snorted. "See if I care," he called back, digging his hands in his pockets and walking away.

"I'm _challenging_ you and you're walking away?"

He stopped. Really, the girl was pushing it. Having already punched someone, yelled at Yumena, then having realized he was no better than a lousy book character, Kouichi wasn't in the best of moods. He didn't care if she was a girl. He needed to hurt someone.

And he guessed he realized his problem.

Maybe he had come a long way from sorrow, but the feelings that he had experienced during his mother's death were still there. He had hurt other people with hopes they would understand how he felt. They didn't. Somehow, he must have changed, but seeing Arata on the floor awoke the old feelings of vengeance. He didn't know who to direct his feelings of hate at. Those who hurt people he knew…loved…were just outlets for his anger.

And he had the power. He wouldn't waste his chance. Not this time. He wanted to crush them, send them away forever.

That girl…and his feelings.

"So little boy, are you ready to fall to your knees?" she sneered.

Kouichi just chuckled. "You're in the assassin group? Pitiful really…" Slowly, he turned around, meeting her eyes with a baleful look of his own. "Don't you know how to do your job correctly? If you're going to attack someone in broad daylight, you can't do it where there are going to be witnesses."

She just smiled sweetly and walked up to him, placing a finger on his lips. "But you said flirting doesn't work."

"Mm…" He pushed her hand away. "It doesn't."

She let out a sharp laugh and walked past him. "Better keep up."

Kouichi's expression darkened. _There won't be any trouble there_.

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"How much time did I waste on her?" Kouichi wondered aloud, yawning as he entered the mansion.

Yume was seated in the middle of the room, arms folded. "You beat Eri?" she asked, trying not to raise her voice.

He could only smirk as he walked down the steps and stopped in front of the girl. "Oh, yeah…Eri. We had a _lot_ of fun together…" Kouichi trailed off, leaning down slightly. "We're going out again tonight. Want to come?"

She shrieked and batted him away with her hand. Kouichi could only laugh, seeing her redden in rage.

"No," he finally said after things quieted down. "I pretended to follow her for a while before I got bored, went home to watch TV, then came here." _Without the TV of course_, he thought. _But obviously, she'll buy that lie_.

Yume's eyes were narrowed onto him. "What were you _thinking_? We needed you for a mission and you decide to run off?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You'll be staying here for the rest of the month," she announced, rising to her feet.

"Actually, I'll be taking my leave today," Kouichi retorted. "Tonight, really, after I cream the moron. Doesn't really make a difference to me, though."

She gritted her teeth. "Baku insists."

"He can come here and tell me that himself." Kouichi turned around, heading back towards the door.

"Kouichi, you leave now, and you'll regret it."

He stopped. _Not this_.

"Why?" he asked aloud.

Yume rose to her feet. She took her time, walking over to him, then took one of his hands in her own. "You know I could give Heima the word anytime and your family would be gone. I _know_ how you work, Kouichi…" She lifted his hand up, examining his palm.

After a moment of silence, Kouichi shrugged. "Okay. Kill them," he told her, taking his hand back and moving closer to the door.

She stared at him, a look of stupor gracing her features. "R-really…?"

"No, _not_ really!" Kouichi spat, turning around in annoyance. "You do that and I'll kill you with Duskmon." He opened his mouth to add more, but simply shrugged and left it as it was.

"Fine! You win against Eri _and_ Ringo, and you can go home. You lose to either of them, and you stay for the rest of the month." Yumena smirked to herself, although Kouichi couldn't identify the reason. "Why not just try right now?" _I can assure you that you won't beat them_, Yumena thought to herself, seeing Kouichi nod with an arrogant look on his face.

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It was a large empty room, probably the twice the size of the indoor basketball courts at his school, Kouichi noticed. There were seats on the side, arranged as they would be at a football stadium. There was a platform that rose at least two feet off the floor in the middle of the room, a yard away from the walls and seats.

"Well, well, _this_ should be easy…"

"Eri, is it?" Then I have to agree with such a pretty girl like you. It _will_ be over soon," Kouichi said, smirking because Yumena was glaring and…just because.

Eri just kept shuffling her deck, eyes glued on Kouichi, a smirk of her own gracing her lips. Her hands stopped their movements, and Kouichi tensed.

"MarineAngemon!"

His entire body stiffened in anticipation of what to expect. _What to expect_…? He wasn't sure. Something large, something to do with water. Kouichi tightened his grip on his cards. _Should I get Gatomon out_…?

The digimon Eri had summoned slowly materialized above her head. "Pi!"

Kouichi rose an eyebrow. His cards slipped out of his hand, and for the first few seconds, all he could do was stare. Staring led to twitching. Twitching led to full out laughter. The small digimon cocked his head to the side, gazing at Kouichi in confusion.

"_That_?" he cackled, bending down to pick up his cards. "That's just…you've _got_ to be kidding!" Straightening himself, Kouichi looked through his deck. "Gatomon! Here's the little fishy you wanted!"

"That was _lame_…and you interrupted my nap," Gatomon sniffed. The digimon stood up and narrowed her eyes on MarineAngemon. "That's no fish."

Kouichi bit back a groan. "Just…beat him up, would you? Please?"

"Pathetic!" Eri shouted. "A disobedient digimon?"

"FYI, a digimon has its rights too!" Kouichi snapped.

Gatomon turned her head to look at Kouichi. Pointing to MarineAngemon with a claw, she asked, "Does this mean I don't have to fight him?"

He didn't bother to conceal his anger now.

"No, that means you _fight_ him and PROVE HER WRONG!"

"MarineAngemon!" Eri shouted.

A cry of delight escaped Yumena, who was seated beside the sleeping Itsuma. "Get him, Eri!"

Kouichi threw a glare in her direction. "Shut up!" he snapped. He opened his mouth to say more, only to pitch forward. His eyes widened in confusion.

_What the…did the runt…do that?_

As he fell, he glanced sideways at the girl's digimon, only to discover it was in the same place it had been before. "Wh-what…?" Kouichi gasped, feeling a blow to his stomach before he hit the ground. He was sent flying back up in the air.

"Gatomon! A-Attack MarineAngemon already!" he managed to yell, screaming a split second later from the pain that coursed through his body.

_It can't be that runt! She's cheating! She…or…Yumena!_ Kouichi had a thousand and two possibilities running through his head. And yet, the only conclusion he could come up with was that she was cheating.

Cheating. He hated cheaters. They were cowards who were well aware they couldn't win without the use of tricks.

"Damn it! Play fair!" he snapped, swinging his foot forward and hitting something hard.

But he was in the air. There was nothing to hit.

"Now, now…don't be afraid to play dirty…!" Eri let out a small laugh full of contempt. "If that's the best you can do…" –she paused as Kouichi was hit again, this time from the back, causing him to land roughly on the platform– "…you're as good as dead."

_If she weren't a girl, I'd pummel her now_. "Sorry, I don't hit girls," he murmured, slowly rising to his feet. His body was aching everywhere; he wasn't sure how long he would last. He needed to finish this quick. "So…who's the lucky _digimon_ I get to pummel? Obviously a sad, brainwashed little thing."

She just smiled as MarineAngemon returned to his card form. "My little secret is about to be revealed. Be patient. Tyrannomon!"

"Gatomon, what are you _doing_?" Kouichi snapped, glaring at the form of the cat digimon.

Another laugh from Eri. "Look again. Do you think she can fight when she's _paralyzed with fear_? Tyrannomon, get rid of the cat."

Kouichi looked at Eri angrily, mouth open to retort. Instead, he found a large red tyrannosaurus with red stripes along its legs and arms looking at him with bloodlust obvious in its eyes. Kouichi swallowed. He had liked being at the top of the food chain.

"I…I'm not even warmed up and you're trying to finish?" _But Gatomon…Damn. Just a week…no. The rest of the month. I'm so sorry, Kouji_. Kouichi winced as he found himself springing forward towards Gatomon. _Now what?_

The girl smiled. He could hear Yumena laugh; the girl had a sick sense of humor, he decided. Itsuma was asleep; he would be a blundering idiot if he tried to help anyway, or so Kouichi reasoned. And Arata…

…Arata hadn't come for reasons Kouichi thought were obvious.

He was helpless against the giant digimon's claws. He'd never really expected it to hurt so little, but he supposed he should have, what with his body numb from all the other hits.

"You're a fool," Eri laughed.

"I…I'll…" Kouichi collapsed, letting out a breath with great difficulty. _I'll cream you soon_. _You and every other underling of Heima's_. Drawing another breath, Kouichi slowly brough his right hand up, laying the cards on the ground as he tried to sort through them. _There…!_ Crying out weakly, Kouichi grasped Duskmon's card.

"D-Dusk…" The words were at the tip of his tongue.

Eri frowned. "Tyrannomon."

He was at his limit. Darkness eagerly embraced him.

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A/N-

HOLY SHOOT THAT'S IT?! I guess it is. I've changed the story title to _Cursed Gifts: A Pandora's Box_. Sorry for not changing it earlier.

I didn't especially like this chapter. It felt weird, typing it up. I changed a more things than usual, too. I might have to rewrite a lot more now. Yikes.

Thank you for the reviews: **GemmaniGirl, TrialAndError123456**

Review or PM or Flame!


	11. Those Who Wait

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. In fact, I don't own a lot of things.

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Those Who Wait

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"So…what happened?"

"Yumena told me Baku got him an excuse. Lucky kid."

"Were the hits that bad?"

"I was asleep. Ask Yumena."

"Oh, sure!" Arata snapped. "If Daisuke had been there, he'd have actually been of some use!"

"What? By getting her some popcorn?" Itsuma retorted.

Arata just shook his head, not wanting to argue any longer. "At least he would've watched."

"Would, shmould." Itsuma let out a sigh. "Did anyone tell you when he's going to wake up? He's already missed two days."

A shrug was his answer. "Takuya's giving me strange looks, and so is Kouji. I don't know what anyone else might think," Arata murmured thoughtfully.

"Hotaru practically tackled me yesterday. I had to use…evasive maneuvering."

Arata's eyes widened a bit. "Oh…you mean…"

"Only slapped twice. Hey, I even got a date for the upcoming dance! It's an improvement!" Itsuma insisted.

He was ignored. "I wonder if his parents know…" Arata trailed off, placing his lunch down in the grass and staring up at the sky thoughtfully. "We've been pretty lucky so far."

Itsuma nodded his head in agreement.

"Too bad you aren't lucky enough."

Both boys turned to the speaker, eyes widening at the sight of Kouji. "Oh…h-hello," Arata squeaked, rising to his feet, hands snapping to his sides. "S-sorry if w-we…uh…took your spot…"

"Enough with the lies! You know perfectly well why I'm glaring at you."

Itsuma looked up at Kouji calmly. "Do we?"

"Where's Kouichi? He hasn't been in school for a week already–"

"Two days," Itsuma corrected.

"Whatever! The point is I'm _sick_ of the excuses I have to make up!" Kouji spat.

Arata and Itsuma exchanged uneasy glances. "W-well," the younger of the two began, "we were filming for Itsuma's project…and he…sort of…"

"Knocked himself out!" Itsuma concluded. "The skateboard went real crazy…"

"Would've worked if he hadn't jumped on it–"

"Big mess."

"Hit his head."

"LIARS!" Kouji hollered. "TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"Just _what_ is going on here?"

_Not her_, both boys thought, letting out groans. Then, brightening, the two pointed to Yumena and shouted in unison: "HER FAULT!" – and then ran off, as fast as their legs would take them.

That left the confused (and even more so annoyed) Kouji to turn around and look at Yumena. "Uh…hi…" he said, feeling stupid because he sounded so awkward, reddening, just because…_Sumi! Kouji, you like SUMI! Sumi!_ "Um…" He cleared his throat and tried to glare at her. "S-so…what happened to Kouichi?"

"Twins…how…cute." Yumena smiled cutely at him as she took his hand in her own and shook it lightly. "I'm Yumena."

"K-Ko-Kou-Kou…"

"Yes…?" she asked smoothly.

_SUMI!_ Kouji yanked his hand away as if Yumena was poison ivy. "Minamoto Kouji. Uh…so what happened to my brother?" he asked, managing to maintain a serious look.

"You're cute…but you're taken, if I remember correctly."

_What is she _blabbing_ about?_ Kouji scowled. Impatient for an answer, he snapped. "Look, are you going to tell me what happened to Kouichi or h-huh?"

She had wrapped her hands around his neck, forcing him to lean down ever so slightly. "Sorry," Yumena said with a sigh, "but that isn't for you to know…"

"Then let me go," Kouji murmured in a low voice, pressing a finger against her lips when she tried to pull him closer.

She withdrew her hands and let out a dramatic sigh. "Such a party pooper, like your brother. I just thought I should let you know that your dear brother won't be seeing you for the rest of the month."

His eyes narrowed on her angrily. _What gave her the confidence to talk like that to me_…? "What…?"

"See, it's part of a deal we made, and he can't go back on his word. Too bad, _Minamoto Kouji_," she laughed.

"Well, _Yumena_, if you'd like to keep that deal, I suggest you make sure that I see him tomorrow, unless you'd like to face death."

She took a step back in shock. "Y-you wouldn't…"

"Not _me_," he scowled. "It _pays_ to know violent girls! Hotaru's ready to tear apart anyone who might know anything about Kouichi's whereabouts. And I suggest you let me go if you don't want me to call her right now!" His scowl deepened, his distasteful gaze falling on Yumena's hand, which grabbed a hold of his wrist.

Yumena's eyes were focused on the grass below their feet. "They…they aren't together, are they?" she asked, squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation.

But he just snorted and shrugged, gently prying her hand off. "How would I know? My own twin is more of a mystery than my kendo instructor," he snapped. Koji turned around, slipped his hands into his pockets. "I was serious when I said I expect to see him tomorrow. I'm not the liar of the family, and I don't plan on lying anymore than necessary. I _do_ have the resources necessary to get rid of you."

Yumena merely watched him leave, taking several steps back until she was against the tree. _He better be okay tomorrow. There's _no_ way Baku will cover for us again_.

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"He _what?_" she screamed. Yumena missed the days when she came back from school into a quiet room to do her homework. She missed those days where Itsuma would be her only worry, where Daisuke would accidentally make a mess in the kitchen, where Arata would cause books to fall from the smallest of bookshelves. She missed those days dearly.

She wasn't a babysitter. And she wasn't about to baby-sit older children. That wasn't why she was here.

Heima, however, kept calm as he drew the cup of tea closer to his lips. "Now, now…he'll come back. It seems he left a little note," he informed the girl, taking a small folded paper out of his sleeve with his free hand and handing it to the girl. "Here. We expect him to hold true to his word."

The girl snatched the paper and fell back in her seat, scanning each and every word. "_Her_," she suddenly spat, grip tightening on the paper in her fist. "It's _always_ about _her_…"

Sipping his tea, Heima merely watched as Yumena slowly tore the paper into strips, letting them float to the floor. _Baku never expected this_. _It seems I've lost another two hundred yen_. He frowned at the look on Yumena's face. _Yet I can only wonder why_…

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_Ah…after school_. _The scent of freedom_. Kouichi slowly inhaled, letting out a sigh at the gentle breeze that welcomed him. _It's good to be alive_. _First stop! Hotaru's house_! He stopped in front of the said girl's house, reluctantly shuffling his feet as he approached the door. _Goodbye, freedom_. _Hello, Hades_. He frowned for a moment at the thought of Greek, but quickly pushed the thought away and instead reached out his hand to ring the doorbell.

Kouichi paused when nothing happened immediately. All he could hear was _silence_. Not even the birds were chirping. _Something's wrong_, he realized, reaching instead for the doorknob. Just as his fingertips brushed against the cool metal, the door swung open, revealing a teary-eyed Hotaru.

Her eyes widened, and fresh tears began to fall.

Kouichi bit back a curse.

"G-go away! Illusion!" she cried, wiping her tears and pushing him aside.

_Oh, not again_, Kouichi thought, taking a step away from the girl as her eyes grew even wider.

Hotaru grabbed his hand and began poking at it viciously. "Y-you…! It's really you!" she whispered in awe.

"N-no!" Kouichi yelped as he fell to the ground, red-faced as Hotaru, crying, threw her arms around his neck. "Get off," he growled, failing to add the menacing tone. "Come on, you're _killing_ my reputation!" Yet despite his protests, Hotaru still clung to him.

Someone else groaned. Footsteps approached them, and Kouichi shut his eyes, afraid of who might see them. "_Why_ did you run out on–YOU!"

"YOU!" Kouichi echoed mockingly, eyes opening. Yet the look of disbelief was still evident on his features. "What–"

"-are you doing here?" Kouji finished, glaring at his twin. "Hotaru! Get off of him!"

_I've done it now_, Kouichi thought miserably. _I'm doomed for sure_.

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"Tea? Cake? Cookies? Maybe dinner?" Hotaru asked, running into the kitchen.

Kouichi shook his head. "For the third time, I'm _fine_," he snapped, folding his arms. He and Kouji were seated side by side on the couch. Kouji glared at his brother while the older twin's eyes darted around the room, examining pictures, plants…_anything_ that wouldn't let him face his brother's wrath. However, not even Kouichi could keep his ground for long, especially with Kouji cheating.

"Start talking!" the younger twin suddenly snapped, pinching his brother's cheek and yanking it towards him. "I'm sick of lying! Tell me the truth, you useless–"

"Cake, do you want some Kouji?" Hotaru growled, forcing a piece of cake into the unsuspecting Kouji's mouth. She set down the plates and gazed down at Kouichi. "Where were you?" she demanded, a fierce glare forming, gathering intensity.

Several times, Kouichi opened his mouth, wondering if he would regret the words he wanted to speak. Finally: "Next door." He even tried to put on his most convincing look, too.

But Hotaru stared at him with wide eyes. Her gaze dropped to the floor, her bangs fell in front of her eyes. Kouichi only focused on her clenching hands. "Y-you…you're lying," Hotaru said, voice low and quiet. Almost calm, but Kouichi's gaze was on her fists.

"Uh…oh," Kouji muttered, shuffling around as he tried to get out of his seat.

"YOU'RE TRYING TO TEASE ME!" Hotaru cried, looking up at the older twin now, tears streaming down her face.

_Oops_. _I forgot. She likes him_. _Way to go, Kouichi_. "I didn't mean it like that! I was tutoring Arata!"

"Liar," Kouji muttered under his breath.

Kouichi let out a small sigh. "Just…give me until the end of the month," he said, looking thoughtfully at his feet.

"No!"

"What…?" Now annoyed, he turned to his brother, eyes narrowed into a murderous glare, intensity only matched by the glare that Kouji returned. "Say again?"

"I'm not going to lie for you anymore. Tell me what you did. Get into trouble with a gang? Were you gambling under Dad's name? Huh? Well, were you?"

Kouichi was astonished. "Wow, where do you get ideas like that?"

Scowling, Kouji stood up, arms folded. "Don't play dumb with me!"

"I don't ever play dumb with you, Kouji. Why would I reduce myself to your level?" the older boy snapped.

The younger twin paused to consider what had just been said. Then, nodding, he told his brother, "That girl, Yumena…"

"Ah! Stupid girl? Don't listen to her. She just hates me because I'm making her life a Hades!" Kouichi laughed, stopping when he remembered his new distaste for all things Greek. And his mistake. He couldn't forget his mistake. "Uh…yeah. I…I mean in class. Her…and Mr. Kanemaru…" Yeesh_, that old man'll be on my case all month for being absent. Stupid Eri_. "Just give me till the end of the month, okay?"

"I _told_ you, I'm not going to lie–"

"Right," Kouichi said, rising to his feet. "Sorry for that trouble. I'll go tell Dad."

Kouji watched his brother head to the door. "You mean you'll tell Dad, but you won't tell me?" he asked, sounding slightly hurt…only slightly.

But Kouichi turned around and grinned. "Tell him? The truth? Nah, lying is easier for me than you. You know that."

"Where did Mom go wrong?" Kouji moaned to himself.

Hotaru and Kouichi glared at Kouji. "That isn't funny!" Kouichi snapped, a dark look on his face.

"I didn't mean it like that, and you know it!" the bandana boy snapped. "How can you just…just…_do_ that!" Exasperated, he waved his arms in the air, trying to get his meaning across.

Kouichi frowned. "Come again?"

Seizing the moment, Hotaru translated quietly, "How can you lie so casually?"

"Oh…is _that_ it?" Kouichi laughed, smirking slightly. "Easy." He turned around, walking forward until the cool metal of the doorknob was in his hand. "I…live my life through intricately weaved lies. And nobody knows…and nobody will _ever_ know." His free hand rose up. "Thanks, but now it's time I threaded another one. Can't have anyone figuring out my pattern yet. That would cramp my style."

"What…does he mean?" Hotaru asked, watching in confusion as Kouichi walked out of the house, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.

"He knows we won't tell," Kouji translated. "I don't know how, but I'll figure out soon. I'm sure he'll be done soon. And you know, he totally had that line planned. And what was with '_That would cramp my style_'? He sounded like…like…like a girl!" The boy coughed as he swallowed his laughter, but reddened, when he looked at the annoyed look Hotaru was giving him. "Uh…right. So, like I was saying, I need a crafty way to give Sumi her present…?"

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A/N-

(SUPER) Short chapter! Sorry. I didn't expect it to be this short. Next chapter will make up for it. Misconceptions and Pendulum are going to take a while. I was going to work on them today, but my mom dragged me off to her work, and I got to chase around after little kids to make sure they behaved.

Yeah. I know it's been focusing more on OCs and Kouichi than Takuya and co. I have a reason for this, sorry.

Thank you: **CrestOfHealing, ****anna, TrialAndError123456**

_Please_ Review or Flame!


	12. Those Who Search

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. In fact, I don't own a lot of things.

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Those Who Search

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_Hi Dad_. _I'm going to a school for aspiring dictators! Of course, I meant to apply for sanity camp_. Kouichi opened the door with a sigh. "Hi, Satomi," he grumbled, and then headed for the stairs.

"Kouichi! Where's Kouji? Was camp fun?" Satomi asked, flashing him a smile as she crossed his path.

_Camp…_? "Yeah. It was great," he said, trying to sound convincing. _What kind of camp did Kouji's lie speak of?_ "But…I'm tired, so…uh, I'll go take a nap now." _Sleep_…_sleep_ _and a camp form_. _Jeez, doesn't Baku have some insignia or emblem to go off of? It'll take forever to make one up_…_but I'm sure the idiot'll understand_, Kouichi thought, shutting his eyes as he sat down in the chair. _And now, for an hour of intense staring at the computer as I create the ultimate masterpiece_.

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One hour and thirty-nine minutes later, Kouichi looked at the printed form with a frown. _Hah_. _A 'B' on a really ugly green rectangle_. _Fits Heima_ _perfectly, at least_. _I do wonder where the thorny vines came from_. _Makes it all evil – no_…_lame looking_. _Evil wannabe_.

He shrugged, and headed down the stairs.

Kouji had come home by now. He sat on the floor, eyes glued to the TV, mouth slightly ajar. Despite the want to end the appalling sight, Kouichi managed to drag himself up to his father (who was sitting on the couch and gazing at the TV while taking an occasional drink from the cup of coffee in his hand) and held out the form.

"Uh…signature please," he said, gazing wide-eyed at the ground. It was awkward. Now that he thought about it, he'd never spoken to his father about anything, save when he was asked how school was. And he never initiated conversations with anyone but Kouji.

_Creepy_.

Kousei stared at the paper for several uncomfortable seconds before placing the coffee down and taking the form into his hands. "'A school for dictators'…?" he read aloud slowly, sending a questioning look in Kouichi's direction.

"Uh…they didn't strike it through?" _I had too much fun I forgot to delete that_…

"Oh. 'Camp for…Math nerds'?"

Kouichi bit his tongue, continued staring at the floor. _Don't laugh_…

"'Science nuts'?" Kousei looked more and more confused with every word he read. "'Aspiring writers and actors or band geeks'?" He looked at Kouichi again, then back at the paper. "Er…are you _sure_ you want to–"

"Keep reading," Kouichi said quickly.

"Huh…Oh. 'Also for hopeless students who cause immense trouble for their teachers.' Hey, maybe I could send Kouji along with you!" Kousei exclaimed thoughtfully.

"I _heard_ that!" Kouji threw a glare over his shoulder before returning his attention to the TV.

"Keep reading…" _I knew that would happen_.

"Oh…'By invite only.' That's too bad." Kousei shrugged and quickly took the pen beside his mug. "So I sign here…and…what's the date…?" The man didn't look up as he slowly scrawled his signature on the paper. Had he, he would have seen a small smirk creep onto Kouichi's lips (not like Kouji could see either. He was too absorbed in the TV).

Quickly, Kouichi snatched the paper and ran towards the stairs. "Thanks, now I've got homework, and then I'll be leaving for the rest of the month, bye–"

"HOLD IT."

Kouji froze where he was and turned around, a shaky grin trying to mask his anxiety. "Yeah…?"

"So, how was the three-day tutoring program you went to/"

"Great…" _Wow_…_even when lying, Kouji doesn't stray far from the truth_. _He definitely didn't get Dad's genes for that_.

"And magic school?"

"Um…" _Magic_…? _I take back what I said earlier_. _Definitely Dad's genes_. "Well…uh…the clowns hated me," Kouichi murmured, trying to sound thoughtful. _No wait! There _are _no clowns in magic school_. _Oh well_.

"Ah…I know what you mean. The second a magician steps onto their turf, those clowns get vicious."

_I don't want to know_. "Right…I'm…uh…going to do homework," Kouichi said, pointing to the stairs as he walked there, not bothering to hide the look of confusion (and slight annoyance) on his face. _According to Kouji, how many places was I supposed to go_? _Just you wait, you pathetic excuse for a twin…I'll get my revenge_.

Kousei frowned, seeing his older son stiffly ascend the stairs. "Kouji," he murmured, picking up his mug of coffee. A door slammed shut upstairs. Smiling thinly, Kousei said, "You're brother is a lousy liar."

Kouji just shrugged. _Maybe I should have said he was off at moron camp instead_…

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"I'm going out. I'll be back next month," Kouichi called out, pretending to be absorbed in his Math textbook as he opened the door. _I wonder how weird that sounds_. "Come on, Doggymon," he murmured to the digimon (whom he had picked up from Takuya's).

The digimon quickly dropped to all fours, scampering out before Kouichi. The said boy shut the door with a silent click, and, shoving his hands into his pockets, followed Doggymon. Suddenly, Kouichi stopped and shook his head. "Doggymon. I think we'll take a little detour. Come on. Follow me," he murmured, turning around, eyes focused on the ground. _How…long has it been? I haven't been there in months_. He smiled slightly, the smile bitter if anything.

Minutes later, they stopped in front of a small house. Doggymon stood on his rear legs and peered at the house before gazing at Kouichi, obviously confused. On the other hand, Kouichi remained quiet, eyes glued on the door. "I'd like to say I'm home, Mom, but I'm not. But don't worry…I'll buy back the place _one_ day, and soon." Kouichi gazed endlessly at the door, unable to tear his eyes away. His eyes were beginning to burn and glaze over. _I…_

"Don't worry, Mommy! I'll be in soon!" A young boy's voice startled Kouichi and Doggymon out of their silent stupor, and the digimon dropped on all fours, while Kouichi averted his gaze elsewhere. The boy, slightly younger than Daisuke, stepped outside of the house, and returned the now-startled looks of Kouichi and Doggymon with a startled look of his own. Then, brightening, he asked, "Are you Junko's boyfriend?"

_Why am I always accused of being someone's boyfriend…?_ "Um…no. I was looking around. I…uh…used to live here."

"Really? We moved in a few months ago! The last owner said the place was haunted, but my dad doesn't believe in ghosts!" The boy grinned at Kouichi. "I think a ghost would be cool, though!"

Kouichi returned the grin with a small smile. _Serves that jerk right_. _I knew he was bad news_. _Whatever ghost is haunting the house can stop now_. _The kid's cute_. "Sorry, kid. This house isn't haunted. That, I guarantee you every percent of one hundred." _And that made no sense, I can definitely guarantee that_.

"Is that your dog, mister?" he suddenly asked, gazing longingly at Doggymon.

"Uh…yeah."

"We can't have a dog. My entire family is allergic."

"Really, now? I know someone whose family is allergic to furry animals. She really loves cats, though." Kouichi shrugged. "You never know. Maybe you'll be able to get a dog one day," he murmured. "Now…don't you have something to do?"

"Uh huh!" Kouichi watched as the boy ran past him and gazed up at the darkening sky, shielding his eyes from the glares of the last rays of the sun with a hand. "I'm waiting!"

Kouichi walked up to the boy and gazed up at the sky, forgetting Doggymon for the moment. "What for?"

"My father's star."

"Did he discover it or something?"

"Nope! He flew to the stars and can't come back down, so he's living on a star. I'm going to wait until his star comes out."

"Star…?" _Are you out there too, Mom?_ Kouichi smiled and shook his head. "You know what I think…?" he asked softly as he squatted down to the boy's level. "Your dad isn't on one of those stars shining in the night. He's on the sun. Keeping it bright to send all those pretty colors through the sky for you." Kouichi looked up and pointed at the sky. "Look at the clouds. All those colors…and this sunset. He says it's for you. Every day, he makes the sunset and sends a message to you through it." _I wonder if he'll hunt me down and kill me when he's older for lying_…

"You think so…?" The boy frowned, slowly nodding. "That makes sense. The sun's a star! I didn't know he made it there!" the boy exclaimed. Then, looking up, he yelled, "Thanks Dad! I'll make one for you, too!"

_What_…? Kouichi frowned. "Make what?"

"A sunset! My sister bought me paints. I'm going to paint a sunset and show it to my dad!"

_Wow, this kid is great_. _I wish I'd done that when I was little_. Kouichi just smiled brighter and sat down on the pavement. "I'm glad you got his message."

"What are _you_ doing?" the boy asked curiously.

"I'm…waiting."

"You too?" He looked to the door when someone called out to him. "Well…I have to go in now. Good luck!"

_Maybe I won't need it_…_but_…

"Thanks, kid," Kouichi whispered, shutting his eyes as the breeze passed him. _So Mom, any mail for me today_?

---------------------------------------------

_He looked all around, and there was darkness_. _Kouichi took a hesitant step forward, closer to the shining object just ahead of him_.

Okay, maybe not an object, _Kouichi observed as he walked closer_. _A door stood in front of him, tall and painted green, fancily carved_, _as if it were from some Victorian house_. _And just above the handle was the source of the shine: a lion's face, gilded in gold, a knocker hanging from his mouth_.

_He opened the door, paying no attention to the knocker_. _It was a nice, well-furnished room_, _and large too_; _there were rows of bookshelves to his left as he entered, and to the right lay a few cushions and a small tea table_. _There were pictures everywhere. But what bothered him more than anything was what stood in front of him_.

_A hooded man, holding a card in front of his face_. _On the back was the illustrative 'B' that Kouichi had created earlier that day_.

_The card flipped around_.

"_Duskmon_," _the man murmured_.

_And much to his horror, the digimon he dreaded to ever see again materialized in front of him_.

"_Welcome_…"

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Kouichi sat up, wide-eyed. "What–"

"Glad you're awake. It took us a while to carry you here." The faces of a displeased Itsuma and a tired Arata met his gaze. "Yume was _very_ annoyed when you didn't come back. It took us forever to locate you, too. Honestly, you looked–"

"Hush. Where's Doggymon?"

"Um…Yumena…eh…" Arata gazed at the ground and mumbled, "Yumena locked him up."

"WHAT?"

The other two boys winced.

"I am _NOT_ moving until I GET MY DOG BACK!" Kouichi paused. "Technically, I kinda sorta gave him to Daisuke, but…I'M NOT BUDGING."

"There goes the peace. Good going, Arata," Itsuma grumbled, walking out of the room after snapping, "Now we've got to find Yumena and Heima."

"You do that!" Kouichi snapped, waiting for Arata to leave before he slammed the door and fell back onto his bed. _Well _now _what? Oh yeah…writing my name on the cards!_ Kouichi rolled off of his bed and pulled the cards out of his pocket. He laid them down one by one, face down on the ground. _Individual labeling will take too long_. _Too much of a pain_ _in the neck…literally_, he realized, staring at the many cards he had.

"Oh!" Kouichi grinned, content with the new thought that entered his head. _No duh!_ "I'll label it like a puzzle! Genius!" he laughed, gazing down at the cards and flipping them over. _Just…what's with those lines?_ He frowned at the black lines streaking along the silver backings of the cards. "Someone get to this idea before me…?" _Puzzles, puzzles_…

For several minutes, he moved the cards around one by one until he finally saw what was written on the cards (Not that he hadn't gotten the hint several misplaced cards before).

"Kouichi," the boy whispered. "_Kouichi_. _Why_? I don't…get it!" he suddenly yelled, slamming a fist into the ground. "What kind of _joke_ is this?" He flipped the cards over to reveal the digimon. "Those cards…" _Duskmon, Bokomon, Neemon, Gatomon_. Kouichi shivered, seeing those four cards in the middle. "This…this is a _really_ bad hoax," he whispered. _Why would my name be on my cards when I never touched half of them before_…?

"OPEN UP, KIMURA!" Yumena threw the door open, eyes flashing angrily. "Who do you _think_ you are? Baku requests a meeting and you–"

"How _dare_ _you_…? Is this your idea of a joke?" Kouichi hissed furiously, motioning to his cards. "And get _out_ of my room!"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Yumena screamed in return.

"THIS!" Without thinking, Kouichi threw a hand at his cards, scattering him across the floor. "_Why_ do they have my name on it?"

Yumena's eyes widened. "What? Are you accusing me of –"

"Who _else_, then?" he asked coldly.

Quietly, Yumena picked up the cards, flipping them face down and gazing at the pieces. "I never…" Looking up, she declared, "If I did this, you ordered the kitchen and the food straight from Baku!"

Kouichi frowned, thinking over what she had just said. _Calm down_…_calm down and think_. "Well…_okay_," he said, giving in grudgingly. "Just…stop touching my cards!" he snapped, slapping her hands away. "You're the last person who can touch my cards." Kouichi scooped the cards into a stack in his hand and took his time to straighten them out. "And who let you in my room? But most _importantly_…" He pocketed his cards and glared at Yumena. "_Where_ is my _dog_?"

Silent, Yumena rose to her feet and looked to the side.

"_Where_?" Kouichi asked again, starting to get impatient (again). When Yumena remained silent, he yelled, "Tell me before I set Chuumon on you!"

"I-I can take care of that mouse easily."

"What about…" Kouichi took out his cards and looked through them as he listed, "Mothmon, Wormmon, Mushroomon, Numemon, Kuwagamon, Vegimon, Honeybeemon…not to mention Tentomon and the very…pleasant looking MegaKabuterimon. Oh…and Roachmon." He looked up at Yumena (who was staring his direction, looking absolutely horrified) and smirked. "So…where's Doggymon?"

"B-b-BUGS!" Yumena screamed, pointing at Kouichi.

The boy frowned. "Uh…" _Oops. You say the name to make the digimon appear in this place, huh?_ "Uh…that's…" He turned around and stared at the digimon behind him. _One two_…_twelve cards down_. "Um…now…all of you disappear. Or…however I get rid of you," Kouichi muttered, pocketing his cards and frowning at the digimon.

They all stared back. "That'll work," someone squeaked (Kouichi guessed it was Chuumon) and they all vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Where was I…?" Kouichi sighed as he turned back to Yumena, a scowl darkening his features. "Where did you put Doggymon? You can't just steal a dog that isn't yours and lock him up."

Yume shivered visibly. "He's lost."

"_WHAT_?"

"He ran off before we could put the lock on. I forgot the fact that he was a digimon," Yumena muttered, thought for the most part to herself.

Kouichi let out a frustrated sigh. "_Where_ did he run?"

"Out of the house," Yumena responded, not seeming to care too much.

_Damn_. _Daisuke, you're my only hope_. _Make sure that dog doesn't screw up_. "That's right…where's Itsuma…?" _I have to give Daisuke back to him_. _Pity I didn't bring it up earlier while I was yelling at him_.

The girl merely sniffed and turned around, acting as if she hadn't heard him. "We have a meeting with Baku." After a pause, she added, "Right _now_."

Another sigh escaped Kouichi. _Doggymon will be fine_…_I hope_. _Just play it cool for now_, _Kouichi_. "Well, why didn't you say so earlier? We can't keep that guy waiting, now can we?" _Yes, we can_. _And will_. Kouichi followed Yumena out the door. Slowly, his eyes narrowed on the floor. _A spy_…? A small smirk adorned his face; he masked it with a shocked look and pointed to the small, insignificant third shadow on the floor.

"Is that a _mouse_?" Kouichi declared, loud and slow.

The girl just huffed. "Very funny, Kimura, but what makes you think–" She stopped, eyes growing wide. "M-m–"

_Bingo_, Kouichi thought, covering his ears as Yumena screamed. _Time to make a break for it!_ Cackling to himself, he turned left and ran, not really caring that he was plunging himself deeper into his 'dungeon.' Too preoccupied with watching Yumena over his shoulder, Kouichi failed to see the figure in front of him. A small collision ensued, one which Kouichi dismissed with a quick apology before running around, not bothering to look back.

Perhaps things would have been different if he had, but Kouichi continued forward, unaware of any consequences.

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"This place is pretty big," Kouichi muttered to himself. _How to get out? Maybe I should try the doors_, he thought, a hand outstretching itself, reaching for the nearest doorknob, which happened to be to his right. Not that he expected to find an exit. It was only an excuse for his curiosity.

Kouichi stopped and frowned. Slowly, he withdrew his hand. _Maybe I should knock_. Shrugging, he stepped away from the door altogether. "Maybe that door over there gets me out," he muttered, squinting at the door at the end of the hall. "Cool…" _From my dream_. _Maybe that's not such a good thing_…_but it's a cool door_. _And the chances that Duskmon will jump out at me are slim to none_. Casually, Kouichi walked over, examining the door. _A knocker…lion knocker_. _These are old_. _I wonder if Baku got these imported…or maybe the previous owner?_ He shrugged and lifted the knocker, gently bringing it down on the polished wood. The clash, however small it was, seemed to echo on forever, but silence reigned the many seconds after.

"Cool," Kouichi said again, pushing the door open. _Hello_–

–_and what's this_? He frowned, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click. _What is…this? _His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes swept across the room again and again. _Why? Why…me_?

Suddenly, the words flashed through his head and the boy shivered, taking a step back as he gazed at the portrait fixed onto the ceiling so inconspicuously.

He didn't have to see the words on the bottom of the portrait to know what they said. He already knew. Just as with his cards, his name was written, proportional to the portrait, elegantly. Under were the words he had heard in his dream, and seen on his cards; the very words he dreaded:

_Master of Darkness_. _Master of Time_.

He couldn't see how the latter was. He didn't believe in the first. But that didn't bother him too much.

What _bothered_ him was how all this was written in neat calligraphy at the very bottom of the portrait, just large enough to read; a portrait of what he feared most: Duskmon.

---------------------------------------------

The sky was becoming a darker shade of blue as the golden furred digimon panted, dashing down the streets. _Daisuke_, he thought, again and again. _Daisuke_. The name was embedded in his memory as he turned the corner and ran on.

Passersby must have thought it was strange that a collarless, stray, oddly colored dog such as this would pounce upon anyone, much less lick their faces. But Doggymon, a determined look evident in his eyes, _did_ pounce on someone, and he _did_ lick that someone's face (thoroughly, too).

Daisuke fell to the ground, trying to pry the digimon off. Beside him, Shinya shirked away, unable to do much except _that_…_and_ gape at Doggymon.

For you see, in his rush, Doggymon had completely forgotten Shinya was in the picture. "Kouichi!" the dog panted. "Mean girl locked me up!"

Under the weight of the digimon, all Daisuke could do as hide. Although he _had_ been forced to explain to Shinya the matters of Baku and company, he had never expected Shinya would actually _see_ anything more, especially after Kouichi had talked to them.

But Shinya saw.

And Daisuke didn't know what to do.

Slowly, the boy pushed Doggymon off and rose to his feet. "D-doggy…_good_ doggy," he laughed uneasily, wincing when he noticed Shinya glaring at him.

Not so much a glare as an odd look. "What do you _mean_, 'good doggy'? What's his name? Hey, dog-thing–what happened to Kouichi?" Shinya demanded, turning to the now-mute Doggymon.

"No! No, no," Daisuke moaned, covering his face with his hands. "Stop it, Shinya! You can't let anyone know about each other – both of you! Itsuma will be _so_ mad at me, I–" Whimpering, Daisuke dropped his hands to his sides. "Who am I kidding? I'm hopeless!"

"Aw…what a cute dog…!"

Both boys looked up. Shinya's expression immediately brightened. "I know you! You're…you're…_that_ girl!"

The girl glared at Shinya. "It's _Hotaru_…_Shinya_."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?" Shinya exclaimed, taken aback.

Hotaru bent down and smiled as she pet the dog. "Such a cute dog…what's his name?"

"D-Doggymon…" Daisuke stuttered, gazing at Hotaru wide-eyed, for fear something would go wrong. _I wish Itsuma were here_…_I don't know what to do_…!

"…mon?" Hotaru looked up at the boy and frowned. "That sounds…familiar…:

Daisuke gulped.

Dismissing the thought with a laugh, Hotaru rose to her feet. "Really, that's such a cute dog…it's not _Shinya's_, is it?"

"N-no, ma'am." Daisuke began stuttering again.

_Ma'am?_ "Um…Hotaru," she corrected.

"R-right…Miss."

_Miss?_ "No…Hotaru."

"S-sorry, M-"

"HOTARU."

"GAH!" Daisuke flinched, opening one eye when he heard a giggle.

"Cute dog of a cute boy. What's your name?" Hotaru asked, bending down to pet Doggymon once more.

"Daisuke," the boy answered meekly.

Hotaru smiled at him. "Well it's nice to meet you, Daisuke. Maybe I'll see you around," she said, rising to her feet. "And I'll _definitely_ see you around, Shinya!"

"Aw, phooey!" Shinya grumbled. _I still don't know who she is_…

_He'll never figure it out_. "Bye, you two!" Hotaru said as she walked past them with a wave.

All three gave a sigh of relief. Doggymon then looked up at Daisuke. "Kouichi's in his room! Room, room…I can't get in."

"One second."

All three froze as Hotaru wheeled around and frowned. "Now I remember. Doggymon…and…and those people called Kae _Gatomon_…!"

Shinya and Daisuke exchanged looks of horror before glancing up uneasily at Hotaru. Crossing his fingers behind his back (because he felt like it) Shinya said aloud, "You have no idea what you're talking about, Miss."

"But…I heard a third voice just a second ago!" Hotaru insisted.

"Dreaming," the Kanbara declared.

Hotaru stared at them, mouth open in protest. Finally, she sighed and folded her arms. "This is like arguing with _Kouichi_," she muttered.

Shinya brightened again. "Cool! I'm as good as Kouichi!"

"I was _talking_ about _Daisuke_."

"Huh?" Startled, he turned to the boy beside him. Being the boy of few words that he was, Daisuke shook his head furiously, not even stopping as Shinya stared at him.

"This…" Shinya mumbled, "…is kind of…awkward."

The girl bit her lip. Then, trying to sound as innocent and curious as possible (so as to make them confess), she asked, "So where are you two going?"

"We _were_ going to the shop with lots of candy," Shinya started.

"He means the candy shop," Daisuke informed Hotaru in a whisper (and yes, he had stopped shaking his head).

Shinya cleared his throat and threw Daisuke a frown. "And _now_ we're heading back home."

_Perfect_. "Then it's decided. I'll come with you!" Hotaru decided, just smiling at them.

Daisuke turned to Shinya, who was twitching uncontrollably. "Um…Shinya?"

"Whaaat?"

"D'you think we should get Doggymon back to Kouichi?" Daisuke asked, accidentally forgetting to whisper.

Hotaru immediately focused her gaze on Daisuke, a surprised look on her face. "What? Kouichi? Your dog…that's _Kouichi's_ dog?"

"Oh…you know him?

"Well no duh, she mentioned him earlier," Shinya murmured, but he went unheard.

"Yeah, how do you?" Hotaru asked. _Could it be_…?

_Think…think!_ "H-he knows my brother…"

"Brother?"

"I-Itsuma," Daisuke said quickly, looking away to hide his rising panic.

Hotaru hid her disappointment. _I thought I was close_. "Oh. Itsuma."

The tone of her voice betrayed her well to Daisuke. Relieved, he looked up and nodded, looking happy, but tired, a smile on his lips.

"Whatever. Can we get going?" Shinya snapped, glaring at Hotaru. "I remember you now! You're that girl who hid Takuya's goggles because he called you a sissy. And then he blamed _me_ when he found them dangling from a tree!"

She remained silent for three brief seconds. "Two hundred yen if you don't tell anyone else about that."

Shinya cackled. "Done. Let's go!" He practically skipped forward until he was ahead of Hotaru.

Daisuke nodded, taking a step forward before he realized what was wrong. "W-wait! Where's–" Frantically, he looked all around him until he became dizzy from walking in circles. "Doggymon…"

"Something wrong?" Shinya asked, looking over his shoulder.

_Or…wait!_ Slowly, Daisuke regained his composure and shook his head. "No…no, I don't think so. Everything's fine."

Shinya's jaw suddenly dropped. "W-wait…b-but…Do–"

Daisuke shook his head furiously. In a firm voice, he repeated, "_Nothing_ is wrong." Then, forcing a smile, he suggested, "Why don't we race?"

"But Daisuke," Hotaru began.

"Last one there is just plain rotten!" Daisuke yelled, racing past both Hotaru and Shinya. _I hope you find Kouichi, Doggymon_. _Help him, please_. _And then maybe later, we can both help him_.

---------------------------------------------

"Sumi, you're looking beautiful. Here you go. Now go to the dance with me!" Kouji muttered as he paced back and forth in front of the door to Takuya's house. "Sumi, I got you a present. Will you come with me to the dance? Sumi, want to go to the dance? Uh…I…er…got you a present…?" Kouji stopped in front of the door, slamming his right fist into the doorbell. "This sucks," he growled, staring at the carefully wrapped present in his other hand. "Damn it, I'll _never_ be able to ask her to go to the dance with me…"

The door opened. "Yeees…?" Sumi appeared right in front of Kouji, blinking at him.

Kouji looked up. "You will…?"

Sumi frowned before asking, "I will what? Kouji, what are you doing here? I thought I told you Hotaru's coming over today."

The bandana boy sighed. "So it's a no?"

"_What_ are you talking about?" Sumi asked, obviously exasperated.

"Never mind. Here you go," Kouji mumbled, shoving the present into her hands before turning around and walking away, hands in pockets, slouching over. _Kouichi was right_. _I can't even confess my feelings to a girl_. _Not properly, anyway_. _She probably hates me beyond belief_. _I bet she even has another boyfriend_. _She's going to dump me soon_. _Stupid Hotaru_, _you're no help at all_. Caught up in his own thoughts, Kouji failed to hear Sumi call him back.

Letting out a sigh, Sumi watched him leave. "Whatever," she muttered, shutting the door and just standing there. _Come on, Kouji_. _Where are you?_ Seconds passed.

A minute passed.

Three.

The doorbell wasn't ringing.

What seemed like hours later (for Sumi, anyway – it was really only five minutes), the doorbell finally rang. "WHAT?" Sumi snapped, opening the door and immediately blushing in embarrassment. "Oh…Hotaru…Daisuke, Shinya…" _Does…Does that mean_…_Kouji's_…_oops_…

"DON'T tell me," Hotaru said dryly, pushing the boys in before her. "You thought I was Kouji, _right_?"

With a sigh, Sumi shook her head. "Oh boy, oh boy…I bet my life'll only get worse from here," she mumbled, gazing glumly at the present in her hands. _That bandana brain_…_I hope he's okay_, Sumi thought, shutting the door behind Hotaru and half-heartedly removing the wrapping paper as Hotaru walked further into the house, chanting for her to open the present. _I just wish he would stop bothering about Kouichi_. _He's always_…

"Oh," Sumi uttered, looking into her hands. "Oh…" _It's me_. _It's me_, she told herself, gazing at the ornately carved music box in her hands. _Am I being too demanding? I'm so sorry, Kouji_. Sighing, Sumi drifted towards her room. _I can't believe_…

Hotaru watched as Sumi disappeared into her room. _What about me?_ Pouting, Hotaru turned to Shinya and Daisuke. "This is going to take a while, isn't it?"

Shinya returned her look with a grim face of his own. "You have _no_ idea," he declared.

---------------------------------------------

A/N-

MY FINGERS (smell like coins)!! This chapter took forever…(makes up for last chapter). Sorry for posting so late – I was busy cleaning my room and writing new chapters and waiting for my sister to get off the computer (we had problems with the internet router).

Kouichi kind of got neglected in the last…SIX pages of my word document (haha…oops?). I'm going to add a mini-theater here sometime. It'll be funny, I promise. Right, Kouichi? (I'm sure you can all imagine him cringing). Next chapter is both important and kind of cool. And the chapter after that is long. But funny. And four chapters after that is where I am.

Baku feels neglected (moreso than Kouichi). I'd give him his own chapter…but that would give away a lot, wouldn't it? Bah. I'll add him in the mini-theaters.

I looked back for the date I actually started working on CG (actually typing up the first chapter). Apparently 11/08/05. So…don't kill me if I take another two years…? (I'll start writing right away!)

Review or PM or Flame!


	13. Those Who Find

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon. In fact, I don't own a lot of things.

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Those Who Find

---------------------------------------------

"This…this is ridiculous," Kouichi whispered. His heartbeat was almost nonexistent, his breathing shallow. _This is ludicrous_. "What kind of place is this?"

"_This_…"

Kouichi whirled around, startled by the voice. "Who –"

Silence met him, accompanied by a gentle breeze. The scent of watermelon filled Kouichi's nostrils as he looked back up at the ceiling. _A vent…? Somewhere_. "You know, whoever you are, that's not true," he found himself whispering. For a brief moment, Kouichi hesitated. His voice…it felt as it had been replaced. There was so much fear…anxiety within it that it couldn't possibly be his own. Opening his mouth again, Kouichi found himself saying in that same voice, "I am _not_ the master of darkness or time. I'm just a master of lies."

_Lies_.

_Lies_, Kouichi thought to himself. _Lies_. "I am…the…Master of Lies," he whispered again.

He frowned.

"Master of Lies."

At least his voice was back. _Why?_

His gaze fell back on the neatly polished oak desk in the middle of the room, reminding Kouichi of a stump in a meadow of green (the carpets). The only difference being the peach walls, the giant portrait of himself on the ceiling, and the large bookshelves that towered the left side of the room. It even reminded Kouichi of a small library – it was big enough to be one. On the far right of the room sat a small table that reached at the most two feet into the air, surrounded by folded blankets and large cushions and pillows. Upon the table sat two cups, both face up, as if they had been used recently.

But Kouichi's attention didn't waver there. It was focused solely on the lone desk in the middle of the room. It was small, smaller than the desk beside his bed (in the mansion). His eyes focused on the golden knob of the drawer of the desk.

Breathing still shallow, but heart now hammering in his chest, begging to be free. His legs were moving of their own accord, towards the desk. His right hand was outstretched, prepared to pull the drawer open.

"Huh. I thought I said too much. I guess I really didn't say _enough_."

Kouichi froze, immobilized with fear. _That voice…from before! I remember it now. That's the voice I heard_…

"Didn't anyone tell you it isn't polite to enter someone's room without permission? Really, Kouichi, I'm disappointed in you. _Do_ try sticking to the rules from now on, will you? Good boy…"

"For –" He was ready to retort, letting go of the knob as he turned around over his left shoulder to look behind him. "Wha –"

"Were you thinking of objecting? My, you really _must_ need to review the rules…"

_Damn!_ "Where –" Kouichi turned again. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded angrily, voice rising with each word.

"Hades doesn't appreciate that comment. I'm sorry you're making me do this. Seasarmon, hold him down."

"N-no!" Needless to say, Kouichi found himself under the paws of the digimon, who was baring his fangs at the boy.

"Now listen, Kouichi. You won't be getting out of here in a long while if you act like this…"

"_Where are you_?" Kouichi tried yelling. The words came, but in a breathless gasp. _And why does he sound like_…

"Hm…I especially hate to do this, but…Wormmon, be a good digimon and cover his eyes."

"What? _No!_" Kouichi hollered aloud, trying to lift his arms from under the powerful paws of Seasermon to push away the worm that was making its way up to his face.

The worm whimpered as Kouichi wriggled around. "Sorry, Master," Wormmon apologized.

If only his eyes could open, Kouichi's eyes would have been wider than possible. For a second, he wasn't sure whether his ears had betrayed him. He could have _sworn_ Wormmon was talking to him…

There was a sigh of annoyance. "_Wormmon_…"

"Sorry, Master," Wormmon apologized again, whimpering slightly as he did.

"I'll forgive you _this_ time. Now, Kouichi…I assume you might find this a bit…_familiar_…"

"I don't know what –" He cringed. It was familiar all right. The same pain…the darkness threatening to overcome him…it was _too_ familiar. "Itsuma," the boy managed to whisper out weakly, remembering their first encounter. _Fight it, Kouichi_. _Who is this guy? Acting like this is_…

"Don't fight it." The man's voice sighed in disapproval. "Well, you always _were_…contrary."

_Stop talking like you know me_! Kouichi gnashed his teeth together. "Damn worm…get off…!" He gasped, using a free hand to pry aside the digimon covering his eyes. The weight of Seasarmon disappeared, it had seemed, during the last few seconds. All he had to deal with was the worm. "_Damn_," the boy cursed, finding it more challenging than he originally believed to get rid of Wormmon as he rose to his feet.

There was a cheery laugh. "Language!" the voice sang.

Already, his vision was blurring with black spots when he threw Wormmon aside. _Please_…_help me_. _Who is this_…? A hand fell forward on the desk, another on the knob of the drawer. _No one…someone…help me_…_please!_ He turned around, back resting on the desk. "Dusk," he whispered, scanning the room. _This guy_…_who is he?_ His eyelids were getting heavy. His muscles wouldn't move. _Acting like everything is a_…_Dusk_, Kouichi thought. "…mon."

_Like everything is a game_.

His eyes slipped shut, as they barely caught a flash of black, and his body crumpled to the floor, shoulder hitting the ground first to cushion his fall. The words never fully escaped his lips.

There was a sigh of relief.

"That was close. Wormmon, mind your mind next time. And we'd better _hope_ there's no next time."

Looking slightly guilty, Wormmon crawled onto Kouichi, examining the visage of the comatose boy. "Sorry, Master. What now?"

"Now…" A chuckle. "Now, he forgets."

---------------------------------------------

Heima pursed his lips; seeing Yumena pacing (as she was now) was never a good sign. "Yumena," he said slowly. "You _did_ inform Baku of our little…_accident_, didn't you?"

His answer was the sound of Yume halting in her tracks.

"Yume?" her tutor said sharply. "Don't tell me…"

"I can _deal_ with this, Heima. It's a _day_, and it looks fairly normal. All we have to do is wait for it to come home." Yumena exhaled slowly. "Baku doesn't need to worry about this. I mean…he's already been informed about the box being…relocated."

"Ah…true. But _although_ I'm in charge of all the negative wings, as you call them, do keep in mind that even _Baku_ has his own…personal spies," Heima reminded the girl quietly.

The girl froze. "O-of course," she whispered, paling. _Like I could forget_. _His digimon_…

"Yes," Heima said dryly. "Silence would be wise, as someone approaches."

Yumena turned her head to stare wide-eyed at the door. "A-ah…"

It was pushed open, and a hooded figure walked in. While Heima remained calm, Yumena began to panic. Her eyes slipped shut as she began to sputter. "I…I…I'm sorry!" Yume yelled, falling to her knees and burying her face in her hands. "It wasn't _my_ fault, though, I –"

"Uh…Yumena…_what_ are you doing?"

She looked up, immediately narrowing her eyes on the boy that stood a few feet away from her. "You…"

"Yeah, me," Itsuma returned, raising an eyebrow. _What the_…

_How stupid did I look?_ Yumena quickly rose to her feet. "In _that_ case," she spat, sending Heima a glare. "I'm _not_ sorry."

_And I'm not sorry that Kouichi gives you a hard time_. "Right. I _might_ be able to track the dog, but I don't exactly know where Dai is. Arata won't spill and Kimura…uh…well, Kouichi's out cold."

Silence.

"R-really?" Yumena inquired, startled.

Heima suddenly rose to his feet and spoke for the first time since Itsuma's arrival. "It seems I have business to attend to. Why don't you two sit down and figure out how to catch that pest? And have Arata tell you where Daisuke is – it may aid us later."

_What the_…? Itsuma kept silent, waiting for Heima to leave before he plopped down onto the couch, shrugging when Yumena sent him a quizzical look. _Heima's been acting pretty weird recently_…_not to mention _everyone_ has_. _I wonder why_…

"Is this…Kimura's fault?" Yumena whispered, looking around the room. "I wonder…"

_Kimura's fault? No_, Itsuma realized, a small smile forming on his lips. "That guy…he's one tough nut to crack."

"Pardon?"

Itsuma's eyes widened. "Wh – I wasn't –"

"Never mind that," the girl said quickly. "Um…w-what do you think of Baku?"

"Uh…" _Baku? He's…so_, Itsuma thought, frowning. Then, aloud, he found himself saying, "Familiar. Baku seems familiar."

Yume bit her lower lip. _Then why is that_…_I'm thinking too hard_. _That's it_. "Itsuma. I've decided."

"Huh?

"I want you to take me out to dinner."

"WHAT?"

---------------------------------------------

Kouichi awoke with a start, flailing around for several straight minutes before he realized he was in his bed, in Baku's mansion, a plate of food resting on the table by his bed. _What happened?_ A hand reached up, brushing the few stray hairs obscuring his view. Kouichi frowned, a felling of dread overcoming him. "That person," he whispered.

_That_ moment flashed before his eyes. Twice, now. He was worried.

He wanted answers. It couldn't be coincidence.

His feet acted before anything else. It was mere seconds later that he found himself racing through the hall to reach the entrance. He wasn't sure _why_ – he _had_ to.

As he continued to run, Kouichi could only begin to wonder who the mysterious figure in black had been. _Baku? Nah…he's gotta be some old geezer, no matter what anyone says_. _Definitely wasn't Heima_. _He looks _and_ sounds like an old geezer. Seriously, he ought to dye his hair or something; it's disgusting to look at_. _And old geezers can't sound young or cause you to feel physical pain_, _can they_? Kouichi stopped to throw the front door open. "Itsuma, stop!"

Kouichi found himself immobilized. It wasn't because Itsuma and Yumena were standing side by side in street clothes, staring at him; nor was it the fact that Doggymon rushed through the partly opened door and stopped in front of him. It was the possibility that what he had _thought_ he had witnessed was a mere dream, a simple run of his overactive imagination.

_Pain_, the boy thought, staring steadily at his feet, _is always real_. _Which means…this_. His gaze turned slowly to his left shoulder, noticing the small tear in the cloth immediately. His right hand traveled up to his shoulder, applying pressure gently to the spot and trying not to wince. _Pain is always real_.

"I…want to…know…that day," Kouichi murmured. His voice rose, and his words became clear. "I want to know who taught you that technique you used on me!" His eyes locked with Itsuma's, and both boys began their stare down.

_That_ technique…

Itsuma's eyes shut.

Startled, Kouichi clenched his hands by his sides. "Don't run."

"I'm not," Itsuma cut in calmly. "I…learned it a while ago. A special…a special person taught it to me."

_Special…?_ "Your…mom?" Kouichi guessed, not bothering to hide his confusion, his desperation. When Itsuma shook his head, Kouichi tried again. "Your dad? Dai –"

"_No_," Itsuma snapped, exasperated. "It was…" He bit his lip. _When_…?

-FLASHBACK-

"_Itsuma, I'm hungry_," _Daisuke wailed, tugging on his brother's sleeve_. "_Pretty please, can we get something_?"

_Itsuma did his best to drown out his brother's pleas as he gazed at the map_. "_I_ told _you not to come…_"

_Daisuke removed his hand. In a small voice, he mumbled_, "_But then they'd beat you up again, Itsuma. This time, I'll help you_!"

_He couldn't help but laugh at this declaration. The smile slowly faded from his face as he looked down at his brother_. Daisuke…gotta get him somewhere else. "_Alright, Daisuke_. _Lunch break, okay_?" _Itsuma suddenly said, leading his brother into a nearby shop_. "_Hey, Aki_! _Can you get Daisuke something to eat_?" _he called out as soon as he entered_.

_A boy slightly older than him frowned_. "_That again_? _Fine. Daisuke, get over here, buddy_," _Aki said, gesturing for the young boy to come over_.

_Obediently, Daisuke ran over to Aki_. "_Can I have ice cream_?"

"_I'll pay when I get back_," _Itsuma said, quickly turning around and breaking into a run. He continued down the street, turned left, and stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse_.

_They were there, ready with their knives_. _There were two men on either side of their leader, who stood in the middle, staring discontentedly at the watch on his right wrist_. _He didn't look up as he murmured_, "_You're_ late…"

_The wind could have easily spoken his words. Itsuma was unable to speak_. _All he could do was shake_. _'_Screw this up,' _his father had told him_, 'and you're as good as dead.' _Swallowing, he held out the packet in his hands_. "_I…uh…h-here_…" Damn, a girl would be better off than me.

_Dropping his hand to his side, the man looked up, a smirk on his face_. "_One_…" _One of the thugs stepped forward and grabbed the packet out of Itsuma's hand_. "…_too little_. _Your father promised _two_ brats_."

"_He_…" _Itsuma found himself unable to speak_. Daisuke! No…I have to lead them away, _he realized, his foot digging into the gravel ground_. "_I_…" _Without warning, Itsuma whirled around and broke into a run_. "_Won't! I won't do anything for you guys anymore_," _he yelled, dashing madly down the road_. I've got to –

_Itsuma let out a cry as he fell back, having bumped into someone_. _A young man stood in front of him, scowling down at him. Shaking, Itsuma shut his eyes, bracing himself for the impact of a hit_.

This is the end…

"_Pathetic. Hardly a match_," _someone muttered_.

Am I in heaven? _Itsuma opened his eyes slowly, only to see the man he bumped into. But the man's eyes were elsewhere_. _Curiously, Itsuma stood up and looked behind hi_m.

_His pursuers lay on the ground, unconscious_.

"_Are they_ –"

"_Knocked out_," _the man answered, his gaze focused on Itsuma now_. "_Although they would be better off dead. No matter, though. They officials will be here soon_."

"_Th-thank you, sir. And, um…sorry about running into you_." _Itsuma quickly bowed. He looked up at the man again to discover the man stood a good head taller_. _A blue cap covered messy black hair with fading blond tips, shadowing his face in the process_. _He looked young, but still looked a good deal older than Itsuma_. "_Uh…I'm Itsuma_," _he added, unsure of why he had given his name_. _For all he knew, the guy was just another one of _those_ people_.

_Yet the man simply nodded and with several small steps, turned to his right_. "_I know_," _he said, almost dismissively. For several seconds, Itsuma waited for a name_, _but when nothing came, he gave up and waited for something else to happen_.

_But, because he wasn't sure of what that something else was, and he was most positive it wasn't happening, he gave up on that, too. Instead, he pointed past the man and mumbled_, "_My…brother_…"

_The man nodded once_. "_Let's go_."

_He followed the man in wide-eyed wonder. One thought in particular flew through his mind – the one that made him wonder if Daisuke felt the way he was feeling_.

Small, insignificant, shadowed, useless. _It was as if all the knowledge he had gained through the years had taken a vacation, one that would be over once that man left_.

Then _all the thoughts would crash against the walls of his mind, flooding his head mercilessly_. Then _everything would come to him_.

_For now, though, he was helpless_.

_Itsuma entered the store, shaking from head to toe_. What…would have happened to Daisuke if I failed? What if they'd killed me…? _He swallowed, walking up to his brother, who was happily eating an ice cream cone without a care in the world_. "_Daisuke_…"

"_Oh, you're done_?" _Daisuke asked in a disappointed voice_. "_Are we going home_?"

"No," _Itsuma suddenly snapped_. "_Come on. We're leaving, Aki. Put it on my tab. It'll be a while before I can pay you back_."

"_Whaaa_…?" _Daisuke and Aki shared looks of confusion as they gaped at Itsuma_.

"_We'll run away or something. You're a great actor, Daisuke. It'll be perfect. And then we'll live off that money_," _Itsuma decided, mainly muttering to himself_.

_The youngest boy dropped his cone_.

"_Don't be ridiculous_."

_The soft voice caused both boys to jump. Itsuma turned around and stared at the man_. How could I have forgotten…? "_Um_…"

"_Did you know it's quite easy to knock your enemy out once you have them pinned down, simply by pressing one of their pressure points. Shall I show you an example_…?"

_Itsuma remembered a smile_.

Darkness.

-END FLASHBACK-

_And then I was here with Daisuke_, Itsuma remembered. _That person…I never saw him again, but_…

"It was just a special person," Itsuma said finally. "Just…a special person. A second family member." He murmured the last part to himself. "You know, you remind me a lot of him. A human conundrum…" Itsuma quickly took note of the impatient tapping sound coming from Yumena's foot. "Ah…but…I have to go now. Promised Yume – uh…Yumena dinner. We'll talk when I get back," Itsuma promised. He turned, ready to get going.

He stopped. Again.

"But…before I go…do you mind if I steal Daisuke back again?"

"It's time, huh? All right, I'll talk to Takuya about it," Kouichi agreed.

"Thanks, Kouichi," Itsuma said gratefully, disappearing into the distance with Yumena beside him.

Kouichi gazed at the digimon in front of him thoughtfully as he shut the door. "I wonder who it was. So, Doggymon…where've you been? You know, I'm so hungry I could eat my finger. Only that's disgusting, kind of like the fact that Itsuma's taking Yumena out. Well, come on. Dinner time." Boy motioned to dog before turning around to head towards the hall door.

All of the sudden, Kouichi stopped. "Waaait…Itsuma's taking Yumena out?"

---------------------------------------------

"I can't go to sleep," Kouichi groaned, peeking his head out into the hallway. "Yo! Arata, get over here," he snapped, seeing the said boy wandering down the hallway, a book in one hand and a sandwich in the other.

Arata froze on the spot. "Um…Kouichi…"

Opening his door a bit wider, Kouichi declared, "I need tutoring."

---------------------------------------------

A/N -

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SUPER SPECIAL #1 – Interview with Itsuma

In which the Author (A) asks Itsuma (I) the questions you want to ask.

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A: So, what exactly were you delivering?

I: A new videogame my dad designed.

A: Uh...what does your dad do?

I: He works for a videogame company.

A: And those guys...?

I: They're from a rival company!

A: Rival…company?

I: Yep. The videogame industry is REAAAALLY competitive.

A: And why did they want you and Daisuke?

I: They had a lack videogame testers! Daisuke and I are real pros, even if we don't look it.

A: Comes with having a videogame designer as a dad, huh? Then...why would they have killed you?

I: It adds to the drama, doesn't it?

K: WAIT WAIT! I HAVE A QUESTION!

I: What, Kouichi?

K: I THOUGHT THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MORE OF ME IN HERE! I ONLY GOT THE FIRST TWO AND A HALF PAGES.

A: ...yeah, um...about that...(You got the last few scenes too!)

K: .:not listening:. I don't even get PAID!

A: LIKE I DO?

K: Yeah, well no one ASKED you to write. You could be doing your homework instead so you actually have a chance to PASS school next year.

A: I'll kill you in the next chapter.

K: Yeah, yeah, keep writing!

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REAL A/N-

Alas, Kouichi spoke the truth (slightly exaggerated, though). Summer ends in less than a month and I've been goofing off all this time. I have four books to read – three have to be annotated – and I have three chapters to take notes on. And I have to take notes on the Constitution! All this means that the next chapter of CG will come sometime in late August. I've got 27 days to finish. I shall finish the three chapters today (as well as the Constitution)! (Although I think I said that last week and nothing happened).

Not to mention I've been working with my club (Voice Actors), so there's been some stuff going on there. AAAAAH, WE'RE SUCH SLACKERS!!! I was hoping we'd have finished with our second demo by now….:bangs head on desk:.

So…thank you to everyone who's been reading! But I'm in dire need of this break (this also means Misconceptions will be put off, too). Thank you: **TrialAndError123456, CrestOfHealing, agroxneko**

Review or PM or flame and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!


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